Jewish Sharab

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (December 2007)

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Jewish Sharab is an ancient Jewish quarter in Ibb Governorate, Yemen established around 130 and dismantled around 1940, and was one of the most illustrious places of Jewish settlement in Yemen. Many distinguished Jewish personalities were born there, including R. Shalom Sharabi, R. Mordechai Sharabi and R. Shalom Shabazi. It was an important place of Torah learning, and home to many Yeshivot and schools. It had a population of over 10,000 Jews and was a major industrial centre of Yemen, where goldsmiths' work, weaving, commerce, silk trading and shoemaking were the main industries of the day. It had a collective GDP of at least $20,000, reflecting great Mizrahi Jewish productivity.