Jewish Agency Brings 17 Yemenite Jews to Israel

In a secret and complex operation, the Jewish Agency brought a group of 17 Yemenite Jews to Israel on Wednesday.

The group is made of up of parents who came directly from Yemen and their children, who were taken by a group of Satmar hassidim from Yemen to Argentina two years ago.

The new immigrants will be absorbed in one of the Jewish Agency’s absorption centers in southern Israel. According to data provided by the Jewish Agency, a record number of more than 150 Jews have made aliyah from Yemen to Israel since 2009, when anti-Semitic incidents in Yemen began to increase.

Islamists have targeted Jews in Yemen with increasing frequency in the past few years. In 2012, a leading member of the Sanaa Jewish community, Aharon Zindani, was stabbed to death. His body was brought to Israel for burial in a in a protracted and complicated operation.

In January, members of Yemen's small Jewish community said that one of its members had been attacked and badly hurt in an anti-Semitic assault. The victim, Yosef Anati, was hospitalized in serious condition.

Dr. Yigal Ben-Shalom, who heads an organization which preserves the culture and heritage of the Yemenite Jewry, told Arutz Sheva in the past that it is imperative that the Jews who still remain in Yemen be brought to Israel in the wake of the constant anti-Semitic attacks in the country.

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky said following Wednesday’s operation, "Tonight we had the honor of conducting a rare operation that combines the saving of souls, family reunification and immigration to Israel. Behind this operation are the dedication and expertise of the Jewish Agency and other organizations which contributed to success of the operation.”

Sharansky added, "The Jewish Agency is working to quickly bring to Israel all the Jews of Yemen who have expressed interest in making aliyah.” AS7