Choice 评论

In the early 1950s, as now, Jews were a threatened minority in Yemen, and the historical record suggests that 50,000 Yemenite babies were taken from their parents and spirited to safety in settlements in the fledgling Jewish state. Madmoni-Gerber (journalism and media, Suffolk Univ., UK) indicts Israel's national media for minimizing Yemenite accounts of this affair. The author, of Yemenite descent, used personal ties, interviews, news accounts, and government documents to support claims that babies were kidnapped, adopted, and raised by Israelis of European origin. Official Israeli sources hold that claims of the Yemenite baby affair were investigated--as recently as the 1990s--and found to be exaggerated. The fact is that Yemenite Jews, in Israel since 1804, have known historic prejudice similar to that experienced by black and Hispanic Americans. Distinguished by their darker features, unique food and customs, and lack of formal schooling, Yemenites were regarded by many European Israelis as backward and lower class. As the author points out, many Yemenites still hold menial positions, and their progress in Israeli politics and society has been slow. In treating this subject, Madmoni-Gerber provides an intriguing case study for what has befallen other isolated minorities worldwide when thrust into modern societies. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. L. D. Talit Central Connecticut State University