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Be'eri
Moalem
 His
grandfather waited in the desert for the planes that
would fly him and thousands of other Jews from Yemen.
His father
grew up in Israel, married a Romanian woman, and
then
brought a 12-year-old Be’eri Moalem to the United
States.
While Be’eri is physically and temporally
far removed from
the Yemenite community that his grandfather knew,
the
traditions, history and importance of it all are still
very dear
to him.
When he visits the Moshav near Bet Shemesh in
Israel where
his grandparents and many other Yemenite families
live he
feels at home. “The whole village is like one big
family,” he
says. “I feel like I belong there. Everyone is very
welcoming.
They shower you with food and attention. I’m
treated like a
prince.”
While neither he nor his father speaks Arabic, Be’eri
has
found a way to hold on to the traditions of his
Arabian
Peninsula ancestry. Be’eri, a violinist who studied
at
the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music, teaches lessons in
and
around his hometown of Palo Alto. He also teaches
Hebrew
and Israeli history to schoolchildren. He says that the
children like to hear the stories of how the Jews of
Yemen
came to Israel.
From June of 1949 – 1950 nearly the entire Jewish
population
(49,000) was transported to Israel in “Operation
Magic
Carpet.” They waited in the desert as Israeli planes
-
stripped
of seats to allow for more people - shuttled them to
a
fledgling Israel. He also tells them about how
primitive things
in Yemen were. How his grandfather says village boys
would
chase after a truck because any kind of vehicle was
so rare.
Sometimes he recites the Torah in Yemenite
Hebrew. “They
say that it is the closest to the riginal Hebrew,” he
says with
a little pride.
Yemenite legends tell of a band of Jews who left
Israel
before the destruction of the first temple. The
population is
believed to have practiced Judaism in isolation
making their
reciting of Torah closer to the original prayers than
was
found in the other corners of the world where Jews
ended up.
When Be’eri had his Bar Mitzvah, he prayed in
Yemenite
Hebrew. He describes how the inflection and melody
is
different. “The kids like learning about that too,” he
says.
But it isn’t only young Jewish children in the U.S.
that don’t
know these stories; it’s most of the people Be’eri
has
met
throughout his life. “When people hear my accent
they ask
me where I’m from. I have them guess. Israel is
always way
down the list. They always think I’m from an Arab
country...
then maybe a Mexican. They have no idea that there
are
dark people in Israel,” he says.
Over half the country is made up from Jews from the
Middle
East and North Africa. “Within Israel the Mizrahi
community
has a sense of identity and pride and they carry it
around.
It’s fairly strong.” And while some intermarrying
- as
was the
case for Be’eri’s parents - does occur, Mizrahi
traditions are
largely upheld. Overseas, Be’eri sees those traditions
becoming a bit more diluted, but he has found a way
that he
can help keep them alive.
In Northern California Be’eri laments the size of
the
Yemenite
community. “I think it’s a beautiful culture
with great
music
and great food. It would be a shame if it were
forgotten. I
wish there were more restaurants in that style. That
would
be a good way to keep the culture going.”
Sometimes Be’eri regrets not being in Israel. “I
miss
Israel;
and feel guilty with my friends and colleagues
fighting,” he
says. “They say I’m lucky.”
But he doesn’t plan on leaving just yet. “My
immediate
family is over here. I’ll stay here for now. It’s
hard to
leave
the comfort and opportunity you have here in
America.”
And even if he may feel far from his friends in Israel,
he
feels like he can do something to help Israel from
America.“I do what I can to teach Hebrew and sharing
my traditions.
It’s a good way to help Israel. Any time people
know –
ignorance is never a good thing. The more people
know. The
more people know the facts, that helps Israel’s
case,” he
says. “Our history in the Middle East gives Israel
legitimacy.”
You can find out more about Be’eri at his website www.beeri.org.
You can
even
download scores he has composed, inspired by
religious
songs.
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