Only 3 Jews Left in Yemen After Widow’s Departure Backed by Houthi, Israeli Philanthropist
A 75-year-old Jewish widow, Doda Badra, left Yemen for a safer country after her husband’s death, with Houthi assistance and funding from an Israeli philanthropist. Her departure leaves only three Jews in Yemen, including one in prison, as efforts continue to secure their saf
A 75-year-old Jewish widow, Doda Badra, left Yemen on June 12th for a safer country, marking a significant moment for the dwindling Jewish community in the war-torn nation. Her departure, prompted by deteriorating health and the loss of her husband, Yahya Dawoud, to cholera in June 2024, leaves only three Jews in Yemen. The couple, known for their deep love for their homeland, had repeatedly declined offers to emigrate despite Yemen’s ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. “They were two wonderful Yemeni Jews who loved their country and lived through its ups and downs,” a Yemeni source noted. “Though they had no children, they refused every offer to leave. But her husband’s death, combined with her worsening health, forced her to agree to leave.”
Remarkably, Yemen’s Houthi authorities facilitated Dawoud’s burial in a Jewish cemetery, ensuring a traditional Jewish levaya with their participation, and later permitted Badra’s departure. The operation was supported by a collaborative effort involving Attorney Mordechai Tzivin, a specialist in international legal cases, alongside rabbis, Jewish-Yemeni activists from the U.S. and Europe, and a prominent Israeli billionaire from Bnei Brak, known for funding religious institutions. This businessman covered the costs of Badra’s journey and pledged to assist the remaining Jews, a brother and sister, and a man imprisoned since 2015 for allegedly smuggling a Torah scroll to Israel, in leaving Yemen legally.
The Jewish community in Yemen, once numbering over 50,000 in the 1940s, has nearly vanished due to emigration, conflict, and persecution. The Houthis, despite their anti-Israel rhetoric, have occasionally protected the remaining Jews, though the imprisoned man’s plight highlights ongoing tensions. Badra’s exit underscores the urgency of securing safe passage for Yemen’s last Jews amid the country’s instability, exacerbated by recent Houthi missile attacks on Israel, including a May 4, 2025, strike on Ben Gurion Airport.