Reviv Drucker and Iti Rom Nickname in "The Source" Public Representatives "Charlatan Yemen" • However, hundreds of families testify that their sons have disappeared and do not know what happened to them

• The big demonstration for the children of Yemen in Jerusalem

  Photo:

  Oren Ben Hakun

In the "source" inquiry into the disappearance of the Yemeni children, Raviv Drucker and Itai Rum allegedly refuted one to one of the cases alleged for kidnapping of institutionalized children. The journalists mockingly and contemptuously affixed the term "charlatan Yemen" to the representatives of the public and social activists - former MK Nurit Koren, now Justice Minister Amir Ohana, Shlomi Cuta, Naama Katyati and others - representing the affairs of the missing children.

The Yemeni Children's Affair is a big and important one, quoting words with Reviv Drucker and Iti Rom, and their partner in the conceptual path, Yaron London. After all, in spite of everything, there are hundreds of hundreds of families from Yemen and other communities who claim that their children have disappeared in the 1950s and 50s and do not know what their fate is. These, family by family, more than 850 families, in heartbreaking descriptions before a state committee chaired by Judge Jacob Kadmi, testified that their children had disappeared from the aisles, usually after some contact with the child care institutions. This collective outcry that erupted from Kiryat Ekron and Yehud, Rosh Ha'ayin and Hadera, is not "Yemenite charlatanism".

In the summer of 2016, we published a group of academics investigating the pre-independence period and the State of Israel, an ad entitled "The Children of All of Us." The starting point for a state and human solution we proposed was the conclusions of the State Commission of Inquiry led by Judge Jacob Kadmi, under which Maj. Gen. David Maimon and Judge Dalia Kovel acted. Based on the 850 testimonies presented to it, the Commission determined that in relation to 733 missing persons there was evidence that the children had died. In quite a few cases, the committee also determines the exact place of burial of children. No 56 evidence of disappearance was found for 56 infants. The committee ruled out the possibility of institutional abduction, but ruled that there was a possibility of "casual delivery for adoption" of dozens of children who were defined as "abandoned," without orderly reporting.

On the basis of the committee's determinations, the following must be done: First, the Israeli government must work to find the place of burial of the disappeared children. A state genetic database will be set up for all families whose children have disappeared and claimed by the State Inquiry Committee that their bodies were buried in Israeli cemeteries. The state will also collect inquiries from families that have not been heard on the commission of inquiry. Then, professional teams will be set up to locate and scientifically identify the bodies of the children, so that families will have a grave and a tombstone to visit their loved ones. The government will act with determination to locate the children whose bodies have not been found.

Second, a state commission will be set up under the direction of a judge, who will provide compensation for any family and family found to be a child, whether the child has been located or where his whereabouts are unknown. The shocking thought that children were buried without the family's presence, in hiding and without any proper documentation, is a stain on the systems that were involved in the immigration and absorption of immigrants. Unidentified families will receive increased compensation, without prejudice to their other compensation rights under law.

Third, a public committee will be set up to determine the appropriate ways to commemorate the disappeared children, such as a monument or synagogue in one of the major cities of Israel; A site where families will be able to connect with the male children who have been found and not found.

In no way should the criminal aspects be clearly stated in the case, should they be revealed. Every effort must be made to locate the disappeared. At the same time, an immediate promotion of a state and human agenda for the affair must be taken immediately, out of compassion and recognition of the children's families, and of responsibility for the solidarity of the Israeli society, heritage and historical story for future generations. Horror fills my heart at one point. What would happen if the graves were opened and there were no baby skeletons, as the State Commission claims? I wish there were. If not, new "Yemeni charlatans" will emerge.

Dr. Uri Cohen is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at Tel Aviv University

2010-2019 | Summarize a decade:

• Decame TV shows of the decade

• Decade albums of "Israel Today" writings

• The Beige Age: The Greatest Series of the Decade

• The great love stories of the decade

• Examine yourself: What didn't happen?

• The 20 Greatest Movies of the Decade

• All culture, gossip and entertainment - now on Instagram!