'The Lost Orphan Boy': A treacherous journey from Yemen to the Promised Land - review

The novel The Lost Orphan Boy is filled with rich descriptions of life in Yemen and the difficulties and dangers that the Jews of Yemen encountered in making their way to Israel. It contains elements of romance, sadness, tragedy, and inspiration, and makes one appreciate the cultural and societal difficulties that Yemenite immigrants encountered when they came to Israel. 

Historical fiction straddles two ends of the literary spectrum. On the one hand, the details and setting of the book reflect historical reality, while on the other, the characters, their dialogue, and what transpires can be entirely fictional, giving the author the freedom to have the characters act in different ways, as long as they follow the constraints of the period in which it is set.  

The Lost Orphan Boy, which tells the story of a Jewish family in Yemen in the 1940s and their travails in Yemen and the State of Israel, fits the genre to a T. Author Benny Edvy has based the book on the real-life experiences of his father, who was born in Yemen, journeyed to Aden, and settled in pre-state Mandatory Palestine. 

November 30 was designated by the Knesset in 2014 as an annual national day of commemoration for the 850,000 Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries and Iran during the 20th century. In the early years of the century, the Jewish community in Yemen – one of the most ancient Jewish communities in the world – numbered over 50,000.

Today, the majority of Yemenite Jews live in Israel, and only a handful are said to have remained in Yemen. Particularly in this context, reading The Lost Orphan Boy spotlights the struggles of the Jewish communities in Arab lands, bringing them to the forefront of our national and personal consciousness.

The story of 'The Lost Oprhan Boy'

THE STORY begins in a small Yemenite village, where 13-year-old Luluah becomes an unlikely bride and mother when her older sister Badreh, who was married to the elderly Yichyieh, dies suddenly. Life is difficult for Luluah, who must raise her niece and two nephews, Aharon and Menachem, manage the home, and care for her elderly husband. Yichyieh, realizing that his wife is still a child, waits until she turns 18 before consummating the marriage. Soon after, Luluah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, whom they name Joseph.

Life follows a daily routine until Yichyieh dies suddenly, turning the family’s life upside down. According to a Yemenite law known as the Orphan’s Decree, if the father dies and the children are under the age of 18, they become wards of the state and are raised in Muslim orphanages and forcibly converted to Islam.

Though this law was mostly ignored during the Ottoman rule, from 1918-1942 it was strictly enforced by the British authorities. Many orphaned Jews were forcibly abducted from the community and never returned to their families.

On the way to Sanaa, Joseph falls seriously ill, and Yehuda decides to leave him with his Aunt Reuma and Uncle Ya’akov in Sanaa while he continues to Aden, and then to Israel with Aharon and Menachem. Joseph is left behind, recovers, and grows close to the elderly couple. Determined to keep their word to get Joseph to the Holy Land, Reuma, and Ya’akov find a young couple in Sanaa traveling to Israel and convince them to take Joseph to Aden. Once again, Joseph is separated from his family and feels the pain of separation. The couple, together with Joseph, set out on a grueling and treacherous journey to Aden, with hazardous mountain crossings and dangerous tribes lurking nearby. Joseph flourishes in Aden at the home of his father’s brother Zachariah and his wife, Shimei, where he spends several years before they send him on the voyage to Israel to fulfill his mother’s wishes. Yet again, he is forced to leave those to whom he had grown close, which is one of the book’s overarching themes. 

Arriving in the Holy Land, young Joseph is filled with anticipation in the hope of meeting his long-lost brothers and his father’s brother Abraham. Unfortunately, his uncle is unable to care for him, and he is sent to a series of orphanages, where he is beaten and mistreated before finding his way. Moreover, his reunion with his brothers falls far short of his expectations. While still a teen, Joseph enters the labor market and begins to make his mark in the building trades. Some time later, he joins the Hagana. 

I WILL not reveal the rest of the story, which offers a number of twists and turns, some pleasant and others less so.

Author Edvy writes that his father’s life story was the primary motivation in writing the book – and what really happened to his father remains unknown. Although much of the book is true, he says, a great deal is fictional. The Lost Orphan Boy is an engaging read that presents a fascinating and not always flattering picture of Jewish life in Yemen and the early days of the State of Israel.  

• THE LOST ORPHAN BOY: A GRIPPING AND EMOTIONAL HISTORICAL FICTION NOVEL BASED ON A TRUE STORY
• By Benny Edvy
• Kindle Paperback
• 255 pages; $10