Trade Networks Bridging Yemen, Israel, and Ethiopia: The Ḥibshūsh Family and Jewish-Muslim Commercial Relations in the 20th Century
This lecture examines the commercial legacy of the Ḥibshūsh family, a prominent Yemenite Jewish dynasty that played a pivotal role in the Red Sea basin trade from the 1880s to the 1970s. Utilizing a rich archive of primary sources, this global micro-historical study illuminates the intricate Jewish-Arab commercial networks that flourished across geopolitical boundaries, encompassing Yemen, Mandatory Palestine, Israel, Ethiopia, and beyond.
By analyzing the Ḥibshūsh family’s extensive business operations, particularly in coffee trade and textile imports, we gain novel insights into Jewish-Muslim relations from a transnational, commercial perspective. This approach reveals the nuanced interactions between Arab-Asian, Israeli, and African communities in the Red Sea region, offering a fresh historical perspective within the contexts of colonial rule (Italian and British) and the Yemenite monarchy.
While existing scholarship on Israel’s engagement with the Red Sea region and Africa has predominantly focused on political, and security dimensions, this study shifts the lens to long-established Jewish business networks. It explores how Yemenite Jewish entrepreneurs, exemplified by the Ḥibshūsh family, maintained and adapted trade routes connecting Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Israel before and after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
This research contributes significantly to our understanding of Israel’s economic history and its commercial ties in the region. By examining how the Ḥibshūsh family navigated shifting political landscapes while sustaining cross-cultural business relationships, we gain deeper insights into the role of Yemenite Jews in shaping Israel’s early economic connections in the region; the continuity and adaptation of pre-state Jewish trade networks in the post-1948 era; and the interplay between Israel’s diplomatic efforts and private commercial initiatives in Africa.
Through this focused study, we illuminate a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of Israeli-African relations, demonstrating how commerce served as a bridge between cultures and nations in this strategically vital region.
Date: 26 November 2024, 14:15 (Tuesday, 7th week, Michaelmas 2024)
Venue: St Anne's College, Woodstock Road OX2 6HS
Venue Details: Seminar Room 5
Speaker: Dr Menashe Anzi (Ben Gurion University)
Organising department: Oxford School of Global and Area Studies
Organisers: Dr Davidi Borabeck (University of Oxford), Professor Yaacov Yadgar
Organiser contact email address: charlotte.guillain@area.ox.ac.uk
Hosts: Dr Davidi Borabeck (University of Oxford), Professor Yaacov Yadgar
Part of: Israel Studies Seminar
Booking required?: Recommended
Booking url: https://forms.office.com/e/GFnpG8TT0g
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Charlotte Guillain