A Habbani couple in the mid-20th century
Habbani Jews are a Jewish tribal group of Yemenite Jews from Habban, Yemen (present-day Shabwah Governorate). All of its members fled to Israel in the 1950s during the exodus of Jews from the Arab countries.
History[]
South Yemen, where most Habbani Jews lived
The Habbani Jews were said to have descended from the 75,000 Israelites that were led by Jeremiah to Yemen, according to North Yemeni Jews, but according to South Yemeni Jews, they were Judean troops sent by King Herod the Great of Judea to assist the Roman legions of Aelius Gallus fighting in Arabia Felix before the destruction of the Second Temple.
The Habbani clans were Adani, Doh, Hillel, Maifa'i, Ma'tuf, Shamakh, Bah'quer, and D'gurkash, with no kohanim (priests) or levites (musicians or guards in temples); they were instead silversmiths, blacksmiths, goldsmiths, household utensil makers, and long-distance traders. In the 16th century they were given a special quarter in Habban, but in the late 17th century-early 18th century, a drought severely affected the Habbani Jews. Many died, and many more left to other parts of Yemen or far beyond.
By 1947, the community of Habbani Jews was only 450 people, and in the 1950s, the last Habbani Jews emigrated to Israel.