About this talk

The Jewish community of Yemen has existed since antiquity, but today comprises just a handful of affiliated members. Many traditions that were forgotten by the rest of world Jewry were preserved in their dedication to age-old customs in a country that took much longer to progress with the times.

The past century saw the largest waves of immigration to Israel, among which my grandmother took part. Through conversations with her, I learned both of her personal ordeal as a child thrust into the unknown, as well as the changing way of life for Yemenites in Israel.

While the isolated Yemenite Jews never took the lead in world Jewry, they and their descendants have made their mark in Israeli society and have contributed much to religious study, music, crafts and, of course, food.

About Gavriella

Gavriella Bigio Dahan is of Yemenite and Syrian descent, grew up in the US and Israel and loves the diversity of the Jewish people.

She holds a Master's Degree in Conflict Resolution and a BA in International Relations, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Gavriella has worked with various Jewish communities and organizations around the globe in informal education and programming such as the Jewish Agency, Masa and others.

She is currently a "shlicha" to the Jewish community and Israeli ex-pat community of Athens.