Testimony of Hadassah Moshe, sister of Ezra:

My parents, Rachel and David Mussa, immigrated from Yemen in 1950. Already on the plane that brought them to Israel they experienced racist and hostile treatment when all of their gold, special clothing and Torah books they brought with them were taken because they supposedly were too heavy and might crash the plane, which of course was a complete lie. They were left with nothing. They were dressed in ragged clothes instead of what they were wearing, and that is how they arrived to the transit camps. Initially they arrived in Beit Lid, later they moved to Ein Shemer. Beyond the unbearable living conditions - no water, flimsy shacks and tents, they also experienced racism and condescension. They were made to feel ignorant, and families with many children were treated with disrespect. In Ein Shemer my parents' entire family circle was together - siblings, uncles. After a few months they were separated and each family was dispersed to a different place. My parents were transferred to Huliqat Transit Camp (which today is Moshav Heletz in the south).

On March 4th, 1952 / Adar 7, 5712, my mother gave birth to her second child, Ezra Mussa, in Huliqat transit camp. Ezra was born healthy. When Ezra was a little over one year old, he felt a little bit unwell, and mother took him to the clinic in the camp. They told her to leave him overnight in the clinic, and when she came back the next morning they told her the child had passed away. No body and no death certificate.

Years later, a draft order arrived on Ezra’s name. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of it.

My parents have passed away. They were good and innocent people and they didn’t believe that something like this would be done to them here.

All these years I believed and I still believe that my brother is alive.

In 2013 I submitted a request to the Population Authority to locate him, and I received the amazing response, that Ezra Mussa ceased to be a resident of Israel on July 1st, 1963. 11 years after they claimed he had died. “Ceased to be a resident” and there is no death certificate. Following that, I wrote a published a post that addresses associations, people, anyone who is familiar with the Affair of the Abduction of the Yemenite Children, asking them to help us find my brother.

The whole chain of events only strengthens my opinion and my feeling that my brother is alive and I still hope the day will come when I meet him. I want to repair the injustice done to my parents and my family and get the painful truth out in the open.

A draft order arrived in Ezra Mussa’s name.

There is notation in the I.D.

There is a birth certificate.

There is a document from the Ministry of Interior (in response to the inquiry submitted by Hadassah to the Population Registry) where it is stated that on July 1st, 1963, Ezra Mussa ceased to be a resident of Israel.