Customer Reviews

After the Eagles Landed: The Yemenites of Israel

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Having married a Yemenite Israeli, I became fascinated with both the history and the culture of the Jews of Yemen. My wife, Yisca's, parents were airlifted to Israel during the 1949-1951 mass removal, Operation Magic Carpet.

The only complaints I have of this book are that the last edition came out in the 1980s, and that the author's research involved only one Yemenite community (of which he uses a euphamism as to the community's name.) The history of the Jewish Yemenites is laid out well, but I wish that the author would update the information (his study ended in 1987.) Additionally, there are very vibrant Yemenite communities in Israel, among those Moshav Shtulim, where my wife's family settled after their arrival. It is my hope that the author will one day add new material to this very important book. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this will happen. I spoke to the author by phone (he is a very nice guy and answered all of my questions!), and he told me that there simply wasn't enough interest in the Yemenite community to merit a new and updated edition of the book. Sad and unfortunate. The Yemenites, a humble and beautiful people, deserve better!

I am a Yemeni Jew who was born and raised in the U.S. After my granparents left Yemen for Israel, they realized that they had made a huge mistake. In Israel, they were subjected to even more racism and bigotry than they had been in Yemen. Babies born to Yemeni Jews in Israel were sold to adoption agencies abroad. This book, although well writen, gives the reader the wrong idea. That is that Yemen was a terrible place for Jews, and that Israel was an escape from bigotry and racism. I would not recommend this book.