Afghanistan's last Jew leaves country with 29 neighbours following takeover by Taliban

Almost after 42 years of the Soviet invasion, Zebulon Simentov, the last member of Afghanistan’s Jewish community has again left the country following the takeover by the Taliban. According to the reports, Simentov had been living in the synagogue in Kabul for the last 20 years. On September 8, he kept kosher and prayed in Hebrew for the last time before leaving the war-torn country. Though the country’s centuries-old Jewish community rapidly dwindled in recent years, the recent devastating development seems to have been the last straw.

While speaking to the news agency, Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American, whose security agency helped in the evacuation of thousands of desperate Afghans from the Taliban-captured regime, said Simentov and 29 of his neighbours, were evacuated from Afghanistan after August 16. The businessman informed that the evacuees have been taken to the neighbouring countries.
The businessman told the news agency that the Jewish man was not afraid ere the Taliban rule, but was worried after the extremist group recaptured the country.

According to Kahana, the Jewish man was not agreeing to join the list of evacuees, however, he agreed after several women and children pressed him to leave the country. Kahana said he warned the community to leave the country as they were at high risk of being kidnapped or killed by the far more radical Islamic State group.  "My group is reaching out to U.S. and Israeli authorities to find a permanent home for Simentov, whose estranged wife and children live in Israel," said the Israeli-American businessman. 
"For years, Simentov refused to grant his wife a divorce under Jewish law, which could open him up to legal repercussions in Israel. I persuaded him to grant the divorce and has drawn up the paperwork." 

According to the media reports, recently Hebrew manuscripts were found in Afghanistan, symbolising the Jewish community that endured there at least 1,000 years ago. The report also claimed that the current war-torn country was home to some 40,000 Jews in the late 19th century. Almost 90% of them fled to Iran fearing forced conversion of religion. The Jewish community started declining following an exodus to Israel after its creation in 1948.

Taliban takeover

Meanwhile, a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul on August 15, leaving the people in tatters. On August 26, five days before the United States pulled out its soldiers from Afghanistan, two suicide bombers killed over 200 Afghans and other nationals who flocked at the Kabul airport to flee the war-torn country. In the deadly attack, 13 US military personnel were also killed.

(Image - AP)