Yemen's Jewish Legacy: 2,000 Years and the Great Aliyah

In this episode, we trace the remarkable story of Yemen's Jewish community, one of the oldest and most distinctive diasporas in the world. From ancient traditions that claim roots connected to the Queen of Sheba and the Himyarite kingdom, through centuries under Zaydi and Ottoman rule as skilled artisans and silversmiths in Sanaa's Mansur quarter, to the 20th-century persecution that sparked a mass exodus. We focus on the 1949 Operation Magic Carpet, when over 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted to Israel in a clandestine mission that echoed the biblical Exodus. Along the way, we meet influential figures like the mystical Rabbi Shalom Sharabi and explore unique Yemenite Jewish customs, including the Baladi and Shami prayer rites and the famed silver filigree. The episode ends with the near-total disappearance of this ancient community, leaving only a handful of Jews in Yemen today. This is a story of resilience, faith, and a civilization that has nearly vanished from its ancestral home.

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