First-aliya writing idealized Yemenite Jews as saintly despite poverty

Evidence

The Yemenite Jews in Palestine—the largest group of oriental Jews to come to Palestine with the first aliyot (waves of Zionist immigrations)—became closer to the Zionist Ashkenazim in the moshavot and were the subject of various representations in art, literature, and theater. Almost all writers of the first aliya and some of the second aliya described Yemenites. Usually they created some sort of typical collective image rather than any individualistic one. This image was based on the opposition between the miserable external appearance and the pure, just, and modest inner being. No matter what difficulties beset him the Yemenite is always portrayed as lively and optimistic. According to Berlovitz, the vision and myth of the Ingathering of the Exiles was one of the main motives of the writers of the first aliya in writing about oriental Jews and Yemenites in particular. Undoubtedly it underlay the popularity of their representations in Bezalel art. As the images do not involve any narrative or context and almost always concentrate on facial features, hair style, particular clothes and hats, it is pretty clear that the focus was on the variety of Jewish types “from the four corners of the earth.” — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 613 (#expands, via linked claim)

This was no coincidence, explained Kadish L. Silman, a keen Bezalel supporter who was also a Hebrew teacher at the school; he added: “the Sephardim and the Yemenites are good material, they are more reliable and disciplined in work due to their lack of development. In addition, their living requirements are not so high.” The view that the Yemenite Jews were more primitive and therefore more submissive, that they were capable of various work and crafts and would manage on very little was accepted in the yishuv already in the 1880s. Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who is best known as the father of modern Hebrew, wrote in his Jerusalem newspaper in 1886 that for the purpose of the expansion of the yishuv (i.e., the dispersion of Jews around the country) the Yemenite Jews would be best suitable. After all they were used to living and working among the Arabs as they had done in their country of origin as peddlers or craftsmen. And even if these works could not provide much of a living “the Yemenites are satisfied with very little,” and, “they are capable of being very patient and can endure any hardship or trouble.” — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 597 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Zionist-era writers depicted Yemenite Jews as collective types embodying outward misery and inner purity — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 613; Yemenite Jews were cast as living relics of the biblical era — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 586; Zionists cast Yemenite Jews as living biblical relics whose pronunciation legitimated revived Hebrew. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 612 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Zionist-era writers depicted Yemenite Jews as collective types embodying outward misery and inner purity #expands (0.93) — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 613
• Zionist settlers stereotyped Yemenite Jews as primitive, submissive cheap labor #complicates (0.82) — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 597