During my travels around the world, I love sitting with locals, listening to their traditions and learning about their culture.
On my most recent trip, I met a family that quite literally shut down the switch on over 1,000 years of Jewish life in Yemen. They were the last Jews to leave.
Jews migrated to Yemen after the destruction of the First Temple and preserved Jewish tradition there exactly as it existed during the time of the Temple.
I was deeply moved, to the point of tears, hearing their story of escape from a country that today is partly controlled by the Houthi movement terrorist organization, and about the persecution they endured simply for being Jewish.
As the granddaughter of a grandmother who immigrated from Yemen to Israel as a child, I grew up on powerful stories of holy Jews and sacred communities in Yemen.
Another chapter of Jewish history has come to an end. It is our responsibility to preserve and pass on our tradition to future generations, so it will never be forgotten, no matter where in the world we live.
Am Yisrael Chai
Source: @shevalifestyle
