Naʿama: Tell me about matchmaking at that time.

Yona: Couples already knew each other and were interested in a life partner. They then go to the parents and arrange a marriage. It was possible to get a bride price, where the groom’s family pays the family of the bride. The girls were protected from the Arabs. It was important for Jewish girls to marry Jews. The Arabs stole the Jewish girls and wanted them for their good names and reputation. Traditionally, the young man comes to the family and tries to persuade the bride to marry him. (There is a disagreement between Shalom and Yona regarding the bride’s acceptance of marriage).  

Shalom: There was this man in Kfar Shamʾai who had a beautiful daughter, and she courted me, but I wasn’t interested. She told her father, and I responded that I already have Yona Ḥamama. It was all about love. Yona was beautiful. In front of witnesses, we got engaged on our second date.

Yona: To make Harees, I boil goat milk and mix it with corn flour and oil.

Shalom: At my work, I employed girls. People told me, “Work with girls, take them in the mornings and employ them with tobacco and water.” They carried a stick to dig the earth and plant tobacco seeds.

Shalom: Yona made food.

Yona: I made all kinds of food – pita bread, laḥuḥ, Yemenite bagels and sorghum with milk.

General:

Yona: I came to Israel an orphan (my parents died in Yemen). I arrived with two family – Najar and Waʿalani. We have been given food at the refugee camp. These families took care of me as if I was their own. They were not my actual family.

Shalom: I arrived from Yemen to ʿAtlit. Yona’s Aliya was from Hashad.