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'Yemenites in Israel greatly value their ancient tradition, with many documenting and preserving it," says silversmith Shoham Simchi, the founder of the Yemenite Courtyard (Hahatzer Hateimanit), which opened in March in Kochav Ya'acov, 15 minutes north of Jerusalem. The courtyard's entrance resembles the clay fortress-like buildings of the country on the southwestern end of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Yemenite Courtyard includes Simchi's workshop and gallery, with a display of authentic Yemenite artifacts, Artisans' Lane and a Friday market.
Simchi grew up in nearby Beit El. His maternal grandparents came to Israel from Sanaa, Yemen's capital, and his father's parents came from a village near Sanaa.
Simchi, who lost his father at a young age, learned the skill of making jewelry and silver artifacts from Avraham Cohen, a silversmith from Djerba, Tunisia. After his IDF service, Simchi developed his expertise in jewelry making, focusing on Yemenite filigree, a "rare art form that is becoming extinct," according to Simchi, characterized by its ornamental decorative work and delicate and intricate design.
In addition to his gallery, Simchi has a recording studio, where he produces his own compositions, piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poems) and the weekly Torah reading in the Yemenite nusach (text) to help those prepare for the reading (the latter is on YouTube).
His wife, Elena, a teacher at the Djanogly High School in Jerusalem, and their eight children all take part in the Yemenite Courtyard, assisting with production of the items and hosting visitors.
"Yemenites excelled in welcoming guests, and this is passed on to the next generation," Simchi explains.
According to one opinion, Jews settled in Yemen after the destruction of the First Temple. They suffered from harsh decrees from the local tribes and later from the Muslims. Yemenite Jews started coming to Israel in small waves in 1862. Between 1881 and 1882, Yemenite Jews came to Israel on their own aliya which was called Aaleh batamar, a phrase from the Song of Songs. Sages believed this verse alluded to the year of redemption with the Hebrew letters of batamar becoming Tarmab, the Jewish year 5642 (1881-82). They settled in the neighborhood of Shiloah, near the City of David in the Old City of Jerusalem. The majority of Yemen's remaining Jews, about 50,000, were airlifted in...