When I was 15 years old, I married my father’s brother. My father told me: “I’ll show you to your uncle. I hope you trust me and respect me”. I told my father: “But he is 10 years older than me, I am only 15 years old.” He said “don’t worry, I will have a wedding no one has ever seen, and I will bring you lots of presents. I will go to Sanaʽa and buy you jewelry”. My father told me that so I will agree to marry my uncle.

He loved me and I loved him.

Ratsaby: The groom?

David: No, my father.

Ratsaby: And you knew the groom?

David: He is family. When he made some money he’d give it to my mother. I said: “dear Lord, I will not break my father’s word”.

Unfortunately, two months after my engagement, my father became ill, and a week later he died from subaʿ (Influenza). My husband mourned his brother for a whole year.

In Yemen, the ḥenna ceremony was celebrated for one week. As part of the ceremony, they would use shazar, which is a black material used for decoration. It is used for making nagosh – a decoration of dots. After a week of celebration, at the end of Shabbat, I was taken to my husband’s home.

Ratsaby: How do they take you?

David: Part of the tradition is to have a parade of singing and drumming while walking from the bride’s home to her husband’s. It is called a zapa. My brothers and sisters walked me while drumming a drum that I still have today. I kept it as a souvenir for my children.

Ratsaby: What were you wearing?

David: Modest but nice clothes: embroidered trousers to the knees with a long dress covering me from neck down with silver filigran beads. Actually, on our way to Israel, we sold our clothes because we had nothing to eat.

Ratsaby: When you first arrived at the groom’s home and sat next to him, what did you do?

David: I was covered, all the way from my house to my husband’s. I was walked by those who escorted me. When I arrived there, they put a veil over my head, and I covered my face. Then the groom came, uncovers my veil, and kissed me. There was no one in the room but me and him. I only allowed him to uncover me after he paid me 2 pennies. That was part of the tradition. It is called ‘yichud’ (consummation). About a half an hour later, guests arrived.

Ratsaby: What did you do after the consummation?

David: We didn’t do anything.

Ratsaby: What did the others do? What did you all do when you arrived at the groom’s home?

David: The guests gave us wedding presents. And some money: a penny-a penny and a half. Sometimes even less.

After the gifts (rift in Arabic), we eat 'asit and samna, which is burgul, honey and oil.

David: I gave birth to a girl. It was all red and my mother thought I’m going to lose my child.

Ratsaby: There were no midwives in Yemen?

David: No. The older women deliver the young. They cut the umbilical cord, bury the placenta, and wash the mother. For a month, my sisters didn’t let me out of bed. They fed me with harish and ‘asit.

Ratsaby: What did you do if the baby doesn’t nurse?

David: In Yemen, all babies nurse.

In Israel, I told my husband to call an ambulance, but my husband said no. I told him that “if they take the child, I will be responsible. I will tell them to take me with him”. I stayed there for 3 hours and cried to the sky. I was ashamed of the people in the tent. I got into the hospital and gave birth after one hour. I was left for 10 days in the hospital. It was my third birth and I was convinced to stay at the hospital. They told me not to be afraid, and they gave him to me 3 times a day. After 10 days they took me with the ambulance back to the tent. Usually, when a woman leaves the hospital, they take the baby to a children's home, but when I got there the lady told me they were full. So I was happy to take my boy with me, I preferred that. Now it was time to give my son a brit mila. We called Avraham Sabri to be our mohel. The mohel came and examined the child. He said he was healthy, and so we gave him a brit mila. His father loved him very much.

Ratsaby: In Yemen, what does the mother do after she gives birth? How long does she stay home?

David: After birth, the mother stays home. They give her a zapa, a celebration, when she comes out. I came outside after one month. My sisters took care of me. A month after birth, they dressed me with fine clothes. After that we went to sit by a well and pumped water from there. Then we returned home and had a meal. During that month we eat 'asit, harish and samna (melted butter with honey). For lunch we eat pita bread and lachuch. An abundance of food.

During a celebration, the men and women celebrate separately. There were some women who would give the groom a ḥenna, but without men. Only the women and the groom. Then the groom would go to the men. The bride was given a ḥenna with just women. The ḥenna – songs and dances in Arabic. The men dance and sing, but the women have it more joyful. They were kneading the ḥenna, and drum.

What did they let you do when you were little?

My mother taught me straw weaving. For a living, I would weave and my husband was a blacksmith.

We sold our products to non-Jews. The Jews worked with leather and my father was a shoemaker.

The relationship with the non-Jews was good. They would give us milk and cheese. The Jews had no lands, only the Arabs did. They said that the lands belong only to the Arabs.

If the Arabs had a wedding – we would go. We were like brothers, but the Jews dressed different.

We asked them what was milk and what was meat. They would say “Allahu Akbar” – God is greater. We give you proper food.

The Imam loved the Jews. After his murder there were pogroms. He didn’t want Jews to enter the Land of Israel.