The Cohen-Kedmi Commission on the Yemenite Children Affair: 1996 Committee Hearing Audio
Description
The exposure of rare recordings from the Cohen-Kedmi Commission meetings sheds new light on one of the most painful and mysterious chapters in the history of the State of Israel. This audio documentation, dated October 24, 1996, provides a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the State Commission of Inquiry established to investigate the disappearance of children from Yemen, the East, and the Balkans between 1948 and 1954. The Cohen-Kedmi Commission, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Yehuda Kedmi, was the third committee appointed to examine the affair. During its years of operation, the commission was tasked with examining thousands of testimonies from families, civil servants, and medical staff in an attempt to trace the fate of the children who vanished from immigration camps and hospitals. The recordings document the legal dynamics and the efforts to bridge the gap between official records and the haunting allegations of institutionalized abduction. During this specific session, commission members can be heard discussing evidence presented to them and examining archival documents that had been preserved for decades. The documentation allows listeners to hear the cross-examination of witnesses and the professional analysis of findings, with an emphasis on verifying data against bodies such as the Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Health. This is vital historical raw material that complements the written protocols, adding a more human and complex dimension to the records. This release by the Israel State Archives resurfaces poignant questions regarding transparency, historical justice, and public trust in government institutions. Despite the commission's official conclusions published in the early 2000s, these tapes continue to serve as a foundation for independent research and a constant search for the truth in an affair that remains an open wound in Israeli society. The audio documentation stands as a living testament to the families' struggle to uncover the fate of their loved ones.
Original title
ועדת כהן-קדמי בעניין ילדי תימן - קלטת קול מישיבת הוועדה (24/10/1996)
חשיפת ההקלטות הנדירות מישיבות ועדת כהן-קדמי שופכת אור על אחד הפרקים הכואבים והמסתוריים ביותר בתולדות מדינת ישראל. תיעוד קולי זה מיום 24/10/1996 מאפשר הצצה נדירה אל מאחורי הקלעים של עבודת ועדת החקירה הממלכתית, אשר הוקמה כדי לחקור את היעלמותם של ילדי תימן, מזרח ובלקן בין השנים 1948 ל-1954. ועדת כהן-קדמי, בראשות שופט בית המשפט העליון יהודה קדמי, הייתה הוועדה השלישית שמונתה לבחון את הפרשה. במהלך שנות פעילותה, נדרשה הוועדה לבחון אלפי עדויות של משפחות, עובדי מדינה וצוותים רפואיים, בניסיון להתחקות אחר גורלם של הילדים שנעלמו ממחנות העולים ומבתי החולים. ההקלטות מתעדות את הדינמיקה המשפטית ואת הניסיונות לגשר על הפער שבין הרישומים הרשמיים לבין הטענות הקשות על חטיפה ממסדית. במהלך הישיבה הספציפית הזו, נשמעים חברי הוועדה כשהם דנים בראיות שהוצגו בפניהם ובוחנים מסמכים ארכיוניים שנשמרו במשך עשורים. התיעוד מאפשר לשמוע את חקירת העדים ואת הניתוח המקצועי של הממצאים, תוך דגש על אימות נתונים מול גופים כמו Jewish Agency ו-Ministry of Health. מדובר בחומר גלם היסטורי המשלים את הפרוטוקולים הכתובים ומעניק להם נופך אנושי ומורכב יותר. הפרסום של ארכיון המדינה (Israel State Archives) מציף מחדש שאלות נוקבות על שקיפות, צדק היסטורי ואמון הציבור במערכות השלטון. למרות מסקנות הוועדה שפורסמו בתחילת שנות האלפיים, קלטות אלו ממשיכות לשמש בסיס למחקרים עצמאיים ולחיפוש מתמיד אחר האמת בפרשה שנותרה פצע פתוח בחברה הישראלית. התיעוד הקולי נותר עדות חיה למאבקן של המשפחות לחשיפת גורל יקיריהן.
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