Afghanistan’s Last Jew

Stand for Israel  |  September 9, 2021

Earlier this year, Stand for Israel told you the story of the last Jew in the entire country of Afghanistan. Now, with the return of the Taliban, the terror group now ruling the whole nation once again, there will be no Afghani Jews left. Ynet News’ Itamar Eichner tells us how Afghanistan’s last living Jew has departed the land of his birth for safety in the United States:

The last known Jew in Afghanistan, has finally left for the U.S after the Taliban terror group took over the Islamic country last month.

Zabulon Simantov in the past said he had refused to leave Afghanistan in order to care for the last synagogue in the country, located in Kabul. Simantov, alongside 30 of his neighbors, were evacuated by bus departing Afghanistan to a neighboring country…

Simantov’s departure means that the Kabul synagogue will close, bringing Jewish life in the country to an end after 2,000 years or more. The Afghan Jewish community is one of the oldest in Central Asia, once numbering over 80,000 members.

In 1951 the Jews were allowed to leave the country, the majority flew to Israel. Over 10,000 Afghan Jews or their descendants currently live in Israel.