A new Yemenite synagogue has opened in Be'er Sheva - the first in the new part of the city. Traditional Yemenite customs will be observed, including reading the Torah aloud every Sabbath with its Aramaic translation. The reading of each verse is followed by the translation known as Onkelos. In addition, children are taught to read from the Torah from age six, including 'receiving aliyot' - i.e., reciting the blessings and reading the public portion - from that age.
Three other Yemenite synagogues exist in Be'er Sheva, but all are in the older parts of the city. The new one, which held its first services this past Sabbath, has members from the new neighborhoods of Tet and N'vei Ze'ev.
The first 40 Yemenite families to make aliyah in modern times arrived in 1881 and 1882, and their sole desire "was to live and die in the Holy Land," according to Dr. Hayim Tawil, whose grandparents arrived from Yemen a few years later. The Yemenite community in what was to become Israel grew to about 40,000 over the next six decades, until several tens of thousands of Yemenite Jews came in 1948-9 in Operation Magic Carpet. This effectively transplanted virtually the entire ancient community, with the last 1,500 Jews arriving in 1988. Doubts remain regarding the numbers, however, and some say that many thousands of Jews died on their way to Israel after World War II.
The Yemenite Jews, accustomed to the rigors of manual labor, did not hesitate to put their talents to use in building the Land. In addition, writes Tawil, "the Yemenite community preserved for us a wealth of old manuscripts and other ancient spiritual works otherwise not known or available to us." Yemenite Jewry in Israel is also recognized for its contributions to Israel's work and education ethics.
Three other Yemenite synagogues exist in Be'er Sheva, but all are in the older parts of the city. The new one, which held its first services this past Sabbath, has members from the new neighborhoods of Tet and N'vei Ze'ev.
The first 40 Yemenite families to make aliyah in modern times arrived in 1881 and 1882, and their sole desire "was to live and die in the Holy Land," according to Dr. Hayim Tawil, whose grandparents arrived from Yemen a few years later. The Yemenite community in what was to become Israel grew to about 40,000 over the next six decades, until several tens of thousands of Yemenite Jews came in 1948-9 in Operation Magic Carpet. This effectively transplanted virtually the entire ancient community, with the last 1,500 Jews arriving in 1988. Doubts remain regarding the numbers, however, and some say that many thousands of Jews died on their way to Israel after World War II.
The Yemenite Jews, accustomed to the rigors of manual labor, did not hesitate to put their talents to use in building the Land. In addition, writes Tawil, "the Yemenite community preserved for us a wealth of old manuscripts and other ancient spiritual works otherwise not known or available to us." Yemenite Jewry in Israel is also recognized for its contributions to Israel's work and education ethics.