Yemen Jews to share in cultural week

SANAA, Yemen, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Yemen's tiny Jewish community will participate in Sanaa's cultural week displaying their special artifacts and performing their own Jewish songs.

Cultural ministry official Mahmoud Khalil said Monday "the cultural festival which starts on Wednesday in the capital Sanaa will be partly devoted to Jewish art including artifacts, folkloric dance, songs and heritage."

Yemen's Jews who are mainly concentrated in the northern province of Ridaa near the Saudi-Yemeni border, are estimated to number no more than 700.

The community exceeded 100,000 before 1948, but the majority have immigrated to Israel since then.