Another Step Toward Preserving Yemenite Jewish Heritage
A new bill seeks to address the existing gap in the recognition, research, commemoration and accessibility of the heritage of Yemenite Jews for the general public and for future generations. The bill, submitted by the chairman of the Health Committee, MK Yonatan Morshiki (Shas), to establish the Yemenite Jewish Heritage Center, was approved yesterday, Tuesday, by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
The bill was introduced in order to address the existing gap in the recognition, research, commemoration and accessibility of the heritage of Yemenite Jews for the general public and future generations. The initiative joins a broader effort led by MK Morshiki to preserve the memory of the immigration of Yemenite Jews and their heritage. In February last year, MK Morshiki advanced a bill to designate a day marking the immigration of Yemenite Jews, מתוך an understanding that the story of the immigration, the self-sacrifice, the difficult journey to the Land of Israel, and the great contribution to building the state must receive a clear place in the national memory.
According to the approved proposal, a dedicated center will be established that will include a research institute, an archive and a museum, and will work toward commemorating, researching, educating about, and making accessible the heritage of Yemenite Jews to the public. "This is an important step intended to ensure that the heritage, sacred texts, customs and historical story of Yemenite Jewry are an inseparable part of the public, educational and research space in Israel," Yonatan Morshiki explained. "The heritage of Yemenite Jewry is an inseparable part of the story of the State of Israel. After promoting the day marking the immigration of Yemenite Jews, we are continuing a process intended to ensure that memory, commemoration and research do not remain on paper, but receive a living, clear and binding place in the national memory of the State of Israel, in research, in education, in commemoration and in the consciousness of future generations."
