This article was published in the newspaper Hapoel HaTzair on March 5, 1912. The article, written in Kibbutz Degania, describes the arrival of Jewish immigrants from Yemen in the Haifa port. From Haifa, they went to Kibbutz Degania on the shores of the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). The author’s name is not specified; the article is simply signed “a worker,” most likely a member of the kibbutz.
The article describes the immigrants as frightened and destitute. Even though they knew the names of places in Israel from the Bible, they were fearful of what awaited them. The article claims, incorrectly, that they were astonished when they first saw the Kinneret and the Jordan River because there are no lakes near Yemen. The writer also mentions that they were afraid to leave one another and were cold at night because some of their belongings had been left at the Haifa port. Later in the article, a Yemenite immigrant is described as working hard all day shovelling earth without getting tired.
At the time this article was written, the Jews living in Israel were largely European immigrants. The author, influenced by European thinking at the time, regarded the Yemenites as “uncultured Orientals” who were in need of a Westerner to guide and educate them. Another of the misconceptions about Yemenites was that physical work was natural to them; for example, the author writes about how impressed he was that one of the men worked all day without showing any signs of exhaustion.
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Yemenite Settlers in Israel - The first Yemenite settlers came to Israel in the 1880s, and by 1914, about ten percent of the Jewish population had left Yemen with the help of the World Zionist Organization, most believing that the development in Palestine was a sign of the coming redemption. Yemenite families travelled on foot to Aden, sailed from there to Jaffa, and were then transported to Haifa. After bad experiences in Hadera in 1911 farmers from the area of the Kinneret suggested that the Yemenite immigrants join them, promising them better conditions and treatment. The Yemenites came to Kvutzat Kinneret (Kinneret Farm) and many were housed in crowded conditions in what was called the “motor house" (named such because a motor for operating the water pump was placed there).” They worked drying the swamps, planting eucalyptus groves, and preparing the land for settlement and farming. They suffered from the hard conditions, and many died of malaria and other diseases. In addition, the other Jewish settlers discriminated against the Yemenite Jews and even forbade them from burying their dead in the local Kinneret cemetery. Despite their hard work, the residents of Kvutzat Kinneret objected to the presence of the Yemenites, and they were forced to leave. They moved to Kfar Marmorak near Rehovot, where they established the first Yemenite moshav.
Yemenite Aliyah to Israel - From 1949 to1950, given a window of opportunity by the Yemenite authorities, the majority of the Jewish population of Yemen immigrated to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet. There are currently a few hundred Jews still in Yemen.
Degania - Degania, the first kibbutz, was established in 1910 by European immigrants from the Second Aliyah. The land on the southern banks of the Kinneret was purchased by the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) in 1904. The Hebrew name Degania refers to the five types of grains grown in biblical Israel: wheat, barley, oats, spelt, and rye. Notable figures who lived in Degania include Rachel Bluwstein, Moshe Dayan, A.D. Gordon, and Joseph Trumpeldor.
Kvutzat Kinneret - Kvutzat Kinneret is a kibbutz located on the southwest of the kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The kibbutz, like Degania evolved from an agricultural training farm founded in 1908 known as Havat Kinneret (Kinneret Farm). The kibbutz was established within the Kinneret Farm in 1913 by a small number of idealistic pioneers who believed in the communal way of life and sharing all material goods. Naomi Shemer, named the "First Lady of Israeli song and poetry" was born and buried in the Kibbutz. The kibbutz's population today is close to 700.
