Three years after fleeing, Afghanistan's last Jew arrives in Israel
Having fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, heading to Istanbul via Pakistan, Afghanistan's last Jew has now arrived in Israel.
The last known Afghan Jew, Zebulon Simantov, arrived in Israel on Tuesday after fleeing the Taliban’s rule three years ago.
Simantov, 65, fled Afghanistan in September 2021, shortly after the departure of the American forces from the country in August that year and the Taliban's immediate takeover. He first fled to Pakistan from his home city of Kabul before moving on to Istanbul, where he resided for the last two years.
Simantov was married with children. Some 20 years ago he left Afghanistan and moved to Israel, but after a few years he decided to go back to Kabul, leaving his family behind. To foreign outlets he explained that he was the last protector of the synagogue in the city and its torah scrolls.
Fleeing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
