Ch. 2 (pp. 19-88) presents a history of the Yemenite Jewish communities against the background of political events between 1800-1914. This history was marked by restrictions, persecutions, and outbursts against the Jews. The Ottoman conquest of Yemen in 1872 alleviated in many respects the lot of the Jews of Yemen, but was also followed by some restrictive decrees, such as the flour-milling edict. These decrees were one of the factors which impelled the Jews of Yemen to emigrate to Palestine before 1914.