The Yemenites’ prominence in Bezalel art came from fascination, not their visibility.

Evidence

Nevertheless the Yemenites, the Bucharan, and other oriental Jews featured frequently in Bezalel art. It becomes clear from these figures that their popularity as a subject for art could not have derived from the fact that these people were seen everywhere, but rather from a specific interest in their looks, costumes, and customs. — Ivan Davidson Kalmar, Derek Penslar, Orientalism and the Jews, 611