The Remarkable Mizrachi Jews of Yemen and More

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                                       

                                        

                            Levi Salem Marhabi;  jailed since 2016

Levi Salem Musa Marhabi (Arabic: ليفي سالم موسى مرحبي, born c. 1987) is a Yemenite Orthodox Jew and one of the last Jews living in Yemen.  He is a Mizrachi Jew; meaning, Egypt or from the East.  

 In March 2022, the United Nations reported that there was only one Jew in Yemen, Levi Salem Marhabi. Marhabi has been in Houthi-controlled detention since 2016 for helping to smuggle a Torah scroll out of Yemen.  He's been a prisoner for the past 8 years, if still alive.

 DNA scientists  now  know that Mizrachi Jews have the closest DNA to our ancient ancestors than either Ashkenazis or Sephardis.                         

He was imprisoned by Houthi militants in 2016 for allegedly assisting in smuggling a Torah scroll out of the country. Held in a prison in Sanaa, Marhabi has received harsh treatment from his detainers, with an emergence of reports of torture and deteriorating health conditions. 

In 2019, a Yemeni court ordered his release; however, the Houthis continued to detain him.  I'm giving these Houthis the Goldfoot curse;  never heard of it?  You don't want to know from it, but I hope Israel did a good job with the recent bombing in reply to their 200 some missiles they attacked Tel Aviv with and hit these Houthis that continued to detain him are permanently detained.  That shows you what kind of heart they have.                                           

                     Mizrachi Jews:  a minority of a Minority

As of June 19, 2024, there were five Jews remaining in Yemen, according to local sources cited by Ynet.The Jewish community in Yemen is an indigenous minority religious group with origins dating back to biblical times. 

Yemenite Jews speak a variety of Arabic called Judeo-Yemeni Arabic, which is written in the Hebrew alphabet. They also use a pronunciation system for Hebrew called Yemenite Hebrew, or Temani Hebrew.   Bravo !  I love you all for keeping our faith !   I hope Levi gets out, and with the Torah scroll intact at that.  

                                Mizrachi of Middle East and North Africa

The remaining Jewish population in Yemen lives near the town of Raida in the north and in a compound in Sana'a.Mizrahi Jews are a group of people with Middle Eastern ancestry, and their DNA can be distinguished from other Jewish groups: 

                  Ofra Haza,(1957-2000)  most famous singer of Yemen, Mizrachi 

Origins           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZyvlP-wxSM     copy and paste                                      

• Mizrahi Jews originated in the Arab and Muslim world, with the earliest communities in modern-day Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. The term "Mizrahi" is Hebrew for "Eastern" or "Oriental".                                 

  

                         Jews living in Arab countries up till May 14, 1948 when thrown out
• Genetic clustering

  Mizrahi Jewish DNA clusters separately from Ashkenazi, North African, and Sephardi Jewish DNA. In fact, Mizrahi DNA clusters more closely with non-Jewish Middle Eastern DNA, while other Jewish DNA clusters between European and Middle Eastern non-Jewish DNA. 

  
• Genetic relationships

  Genetic studies have shown that Jewish populations share DNA with each other more than they share with non-Jewish populations. The degree of sharing is similar to what you might see between fourth and fifth cousins. 
• Genetic subgroups                              

  

                 Finding their Mizrachi and Sephardi roots in genealogy

  Within the Mizrahi Jewish population, there are subgroups that can be separated out. For example, Iraqi, Iranian, Bukharian, Kurdish, Mountain, and Georgian Jews form a cluster, but can be separated out more closely. 
• 
  
• Yemenite Jews are distinct from other Jewish groups and cluster with non-Jewish Arabian Peninsula populations. 

  

As of October 2024, the only active synagogue in Cairo is Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue, and there are only three native Egyptian Jewish inhabitants (Mizrachi) in the city. The Jewish community in Egypt is on the verge of extinction. 

Magda Haroun is the head of the community and the youngest of the remaining Jews. She has worked to preserve the country's Jewish heritage, including protecting synagogues and working with the Drop of Milk Foundation.

The Mizrahi Jewish population in Israel is estimated to be between 40% and 45% of the country's total population. The Israeli government does not keep statistics that categorize Israelis by ethnicity, but here's some related information about Mizrahi Jews in Israel: 

• Ethnicity

  Mizrahi Jews are descended from Jewish communities in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and parts of the Caucasus. The word "Mizrahi" means "Eastern" in Hebrew. 
• Culture and language

  Mizrahi Jews brought their own culture, customs, and languages to Israel, including Georgian and Judaeo-Georgian. 
• History

  During the Arab–Israeli conflict, most Mizrahi Jews left the Muslim-majority countries they lived in for many generations. 
• Identity

  Mizrahi Jews and Ashkenazi Jews are two of the largest Jewish ethnic groups in Israel, and each group has its own distinct religious practices and cultural traditions. 
Black Panthers
The Black Panthers were a radical political group of Mizrahi Jews who fought for Mizrahi civil rights

The FamilyTreeDNA Mizrahi Heritage Project is a genetic census for Jews with roots in the Mizrahi region .