Jews in Yemen have been abruptly targeted by a local sheikh, told they were "moral destroyers," and ordered to "leave or else" - and some have. Jewish "sages" have been killed, one woman reports.

Only some 50 Jewish families remain in virulently anti-Israel Yemen, but after years of being largely ignored by the local population and authorities, they have now been targeted by Moslem extremists.

Some of the families, in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, were confronted by masked men who told them that if they do not leave within ten days, "things will be bad for you." Other Jews were told that the Moslems don't want to see even one Jew left in the region.

Reports of Killings

In a phone call engineered by Voice of Israel Radio on Monday, a Jewish woman living in Yemen said that the Moslems "have already killed the wise men." No confirmation of this has been received from other quarters - though news from Yemen does not flow freely...

There were 55,000 Jews in Yemen prior to the establishment of Israel. Today, the number is in the hundreds. Soon, it may be zero.