Review by Choice Review
Despite their high visibility in Israel, very little has actually been published in English about the social life of Yemenite Jews, either in pre-emigration Yemen, or in present-day Israel. After the Eagles Landed helps fill this notable void. Lewis concisely portrays the social setting of Jewish life in pre-1950 Yemen and the historical events that most affected Yemeni Jewish culture and led to Jewish mass immigration to Israel. Most of the study concentrates on an urban Yemeni community in the north of Israel. The author ably describes Yemeni settlement, acculturation, and integration into the local community; the organization of internal community structures; adaptation to Israeli life generally; and the struggle to retain identity ethnically, religiously, and even politically. The articulation of this community with other Yemenites in Israel, the ethnic and religious revitalization they are undergoing, and the adjustment in gender and generational relations are well presented. The reader obtains a good sense of who these Yemenite Jews are, their motivations, and their choices. Less effectively communicated is the rhythm of their daily life and its meaning. This is a most useful ethnography of interest to anthropologists, and to Middle East and Judaic studies scholars. Level: Undergraduate and up. -L. D. Loeb, University of Utah
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
