This part is difficult for me to write, and will be difficult for many to hear. If you are offended, I am sorry. These are facts. Israel was founded as a Socialist Paradise, for European, secular Jews. David Ben Gurion, the head of the Jewish community in pre State Israel, and Israel's first Prime Minister, ran strict policies against Right Wing elements, as well as marginalizing the religious, as well as Eastern Jews and their culture. On the other hand, Eastern Jews were necessary to strengthen the ranks of the military, as well as providing cheap, unskilled labor. The young State absorbed over a million Eastern Jews, tripling its size in a short time. A whimsical picture of this situation can be seen in the classic movie "Salah". The Yemenites proved to be a special challenge. Although they were well versed in Torah literature, and many were skilled artisans (especially silver smiths), they had virtually no secular education, and were, essentially living in a different century. In operation "Magic Carpet" (also called Mashiach's Coming), some 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted to the fledgling State between 1949 and 1950.. One often hears the story of how these people were so backward, that they lit fires on the planes for warmth! What one doesn't generally hear, is that they were led to beleive that they were coming to a spiritually based Torah society, where the promised Redemption had begun. When they got on the planes, they were told that their belongings were too heavy, and they would have to be shipped to Israel separately. People parted with gold, silver, family heirlooms, as well as priceless ancient manuscripts. Most of these were never seen again. Some of the manuscripts were later found on display in museums, and were later recovered through legal action. The new immigrants arrived to find secular officials in charge of their absorption, who "explained" to them that Torah observance was no longer necessary, as its purpose had been to bring them back to the Holy Land, and now they were back. Many had their peyot forcibly cut, as they might harbor lice. It must be understood that for the Yemenited, peyot, which they call "simanim" (signs) are their ultimate symbol of Jewishness. They were first put in tent camps, later replaced by "maabarot" (transit camps) consisting of makeshift temporary buildings. They were perturbed by the fact that European immigrants were quickly switched to permanent housing, while they, and other Eastern Jews, languished for years in sheds.Most became either farm hands for more established, mostly Ashkenazic communities, while the women worked as domestic help. New mothers were told that if tehy nursed their babies, they would be denied medical care. The State needed then to work. But the worst was yet to come. Families would go for medical check ups to the government clinics. Large families frequently were told that one or more of their children needed to be taken to the hospital for observation. The next day, they were told that the children were dead, and had already been buried. After forty years of clamoring "where are our children?", some of the graves were opened. There were no remains. What happened and why? Why has this story been covered up until recently? Why were previous investigations always stymied? What were the effects of these policies on the attitudes of the Yemenites to the Isreali establishment and vice versa?