The Yemenite community living in a village in East Jerusalem was expelled in 1938 • The ancient synagogue will now be restored on the site, and a visitor center will be opened that will commemorate the "Yemenite village" there.
A model of the Ohel Shlomo synagogue in the Shiloah village of Silwan, as it will be seen after its restoration
Photography:
Dedicated to Benvenisti
First publication: A visitor center for the heritage of Yemenite Jewish immigrants is expected to be inaugurated in about a year in the Shiloah village in the Silwan neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
Along with the establishment of a visitor center, which will tell the story of Yemeni immigrants who previously lived there, the ancient Yemenite synagogue "Ohel Shlomo", which was destroyed during Arab riots in the 1930s, is currently being restored.
The works are being carried out by the Council for the Preservation of Sites with a budget from the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
A tender was recently issued to operate the content and establish the museum on the site.
It is estimated that the construction of the center and the restoration of the old synagogue will be completed by December 2021. As part of the work, the floor of the Ohel Shlomo synagogue will be restored, an observation deck on the synagogue roof will be built, and the original cistern will be restored.
In 2015, one room was inaugurated in the synagogue for prayer and today the old synagogue is in the midst of a restoration process.
The visitor center in the Shiloah village in the Silwan neighborhood will include an exhibition with photos and historical documents from life in the Yemenite village that Yemeni immigrants came to and had a lively community life there.
The visitor center will also feature an audio-visual exhibit, depicting the story of the Yemenite village, their expulsion from the site and attempts to rehabilitate it, alongside a visit to the restored ancient synagogue, a view of the City of David, Mount Zion and the Old City.
A public council for the visitors' center and the site of the ancient synagogue was recently inaugurated, headed by Gadi Bashari, a member of the Zionist Archive's board.
The council's goals are to tell the historical story of the Shiloah village, formerly known as the Yemenite village, through tours, conferences, and assistance in establishing an archive.
In this context, two ancient holy books belonging to Aharon and Yaish Malih, who were residents of the village until 1938, were located through the council. .
The family turned to Bashari and were interested in the possibility of transferring the books for preservation in the old synagogue in the village.
The family's grandfather, Aharon Malih, served as the village's mukhtar until 1938 when the village's Jews were expelled by the British due to the riots of the Great Arab Revolt led by Haj Amin al - Husseini.
Yemeni community since 1882
The location of the Shiloah village is at the foot of the City of David.
The story of the Shiloah village begins in 1882 when Jews from Yemen "Kusafim to Zion" and arrive in Jerusalem.
At first they are not received sympathetically among the Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities, who even suspect that they are not Jews due to various customs.
In 1885, Israel Dov Frumkin initiated the establishment of the Ezrat Nidachim Association, which helps immigrants build houses near caves in the Shiloah village.
Over the years, Yemeni immigrants have also succeeded in establishing synagogues, a factory, extensive agriculture and educational institutions in the village.
During the events of 1929 in 1929, the village was badly damaged, and its synagogues were desecrated.
Then, during the Great Arab Revolt in 1938, the British decided to evacuate the villagers with a promise that after the revolt stopped they would allow them to return - an unfulfilled promise.
The resumption of Jewish settlement in Silwan began in 2004 when representatives of the Kadesh Benvenisti returned to the courtyard of the ancient synagogue, next to another building, and today dozens of families live there.
The Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, Rabbi Rafi Peretz: "The story of the immigrants from Yemen, who settled in the Shiloah village in difficult conditions, is finally being recognized.
This important project is another step in strengthening our sovereignty in the region.
I will continue to develop and make the place accessible, as it should be done in the area where King David and the Kingdom of Israel were. "
