by Justine Hemmestad
12-21-23
The paternal grandparents of my friend Itamar Ben David immigrated to Israel from Yemen in the 1920s and ‘30s. It was during a time when the government of Yemen was enforcing the “orphans decree,” a law that forcibly converted Jewish orphans under the age of twelve to Islam, and severed the children completely from their families. This historical forcible conversion seems to be a prototype of Hamas’ hostage captivity, which in some cases have the hostages physically “branded.” Though the Jews of Yemen are an ancient people, dating back to around 1000 BCE, they were made to live under Islam as second-class citizens. Most other Yemenite Jews came to Israel in 1949, in the young nation’s first mass aliyah (immigration of Jewish diaspora to Israel). Today, the descendants of those Yemenite Jews, along with everyone else in Israel, face a dire threat from Hamas, the nature of which is plainly stated by an i24 News anchor: “The rest of the world needs to understand that if we don’t fight, we’re all going to die.” Iowans seem to be wide awake about the threat to Israel. NBC news has stated that the Israel-Hamas war will likely play a role in the upcoming Iowa caucuses. The Des Moines Register has stated that, “since Israel’s founding in 1948, Iowa has had a strong connection to Israel through trade in agricultural equipment and materials, business, and the exchange of scientific, technological, and medical information.” Additionally, Iowa is partnered with the Western Galilee - but in truth, the partnership extends much further, and Iowans express that. Conner Hendricks, a state capital reporter, has said, “Iowans are coming together to support Israel in its war with Hamas. The nonprofit Iowans Supporting Israel is raising money to buy body armor vests for Israeli troops.” He additionally says that Governor Kim Reynolds has led Iowa in supporting Israel by lowering flags to half staff, lighting the Capitol building blue, and by “rededicating the Holocaust museum by proclamation.” Since she’s learned that the Israeli Defence Forces need more protective vests, and since Iowa has a manufacturer who makes them, she thought it would be a great “opportunity for Iowans to be able to really make a significant contribution to the soldiers.” Iowans Supporting Israel is currently fundraising to send more vests to Israel. So far, they’ve raised approximately $84,000 (which would be enough for 211 vests). Their original goal was 200 vests by the end of 2023, but that may be raised to 250 vests. The vests that are being donated are made by RMA Armament in Centerville. These vests have been proven to save lives through their use in Ukraine. The Iowans Supporting Israel website is https://iowanssupportingisrael.com
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