Late Testimonies as a Historical Source: The Testimonies Heard by the Investigative Committees Regarding the Yemenite Children Affair – A Case Study

Abstract

The disappearance of children from Yemenite families and families in other immigrant groups occurred during Israel’s early years as a state and was investigated several times following complaints filed by the families. In two separate investigations—about 30 years apart—hundreds of families provided testimony. Late testimonies are controversial as historical sources: scholars dispute their reliability and the information they yield. Studies of the reliability of memory show that it is a dynamic phenomenon, influenced by later events, other people’s accounts, and other factors. The Yemenite children affair offers a unique case study. This article compares dozens of testimonies given by the same families (and sometimes the same individuals) to investigative committees in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. Significant differences were found, including inconsistencies in reporting the child’s health, the death notification, parents’ reactions, and additional details that might suggest abduction which were not mentioned in the earlier testimonies but appear in the later ones. The comparison suggests that late testimonies are problematic and should not serve as the sole basis for weighty historical claims.