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Last Jew in Afghanistan

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Zablon Simintov is a Turkmen-Afghan carpet trader and the caretaker of the only synagogue in the Afghan capital, Kabul. He is believed to be the sole remaining Jewish person permanently residing in Afghanistan. The Jewish population in Afghanistan once numbered around 5,000, but most emigrated to either Israel, Pakistan or the United States.

Simintov had lived with the second last remaining Jewish man in Afghanistan, Yitzhak Levin, who died on 26 January 2005, aged around 80. Simintov deprecated Levin in an interview. Levin had initially welcomed Simintov but the two fell out permanently when Simintov offered help to emigrate to Israel to join the rest of the former Kabul community.

Simintov is adamant that he only thought Kabul was too cold for the old man, but Levin took umbrage, thinking that Simintov was trying to take over the synagogue. A feud ensued, with the Taliban becoming involved after both men accused each other of wrongdoings ranging from running a brothel to misappropriating religious objects.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zablon_Simintov
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