Zablon Simintov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zablon Simintov
زابلون سیمینتوف
Simintov holding a Shofar in March 2005
Born	1959 (age 65–66) Herat, Kingdom of Afghanistan
Nationality	Israeli
Other names	Zebulon Simentov
Known for	Being the second-to-last Jew in Afghanistan
Children	2

Zablon Simintov (born in 1959) is an Israeli man who was born in Afghanistan. He used to be a carpet seller and owned a restaurant. For many years, from 2005 until 2021, he was thought to be the only Jewish person living in Afghanistan.

Simintov also took care of the Kabul synagogue, which is the only Jewish house of worship in the capital city of Kabul. He lived there too. In September 2021, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, he left the country. He received help from a private security group. This group was put together by an Israeli-American businessman named Mordechai Kahana and an American rabbi, Moshe Margaretten.

Early Life in Afghanistan

Zablon Simintov was born in 1959 in the city of Herat, Afghanistan. He grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. Most of his early life was spent in Herat before he moved to Kabul.

His home was badly damaged when the Taliban came to power during the Second Afghan Civil War. Because of this, he had to move into the city's only synagogue. Most Jewish people had already left Afghanistan by this time, with many moving to Israel. However, Simintov did not leave permanently. He lived for a short time in Turkmenistan but returned to Kabul in 1998. By then, the Taliban had officially set up their government.

Life as the Last Jew

Simintov lived in the Kabul synagogue with another Afghan Jew named Ishaq Levin. For a long time, they were believed to be the only two Jewish people left in Afghanistan. Levin passed away in January 2005. After that, Simintov was thought to be the very last Jew in the country.

Being the only Jewish person in Afghanistan was very challenging for Simintov. He needed special permission from a rabbi in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to prepare his own meat according to Jewish dietary laws. This is usually done by a specially trained Jewish butcher. Jewish families living in New York would regularly send him special kosher supplies for Passover.

Simintov said he only wore his kippah (a small cap worn by Jewish men) when he was alone. He was also careful about letting visitors into the synagogue he looked after. He lived in a small room in the synagogue and received help from Jewish groups in other countries. Some kind Muslim people in Kabul also gave him donations.

His wife and two daughters live in Israel. When asked if he would move to Israel to join them, Simintov often said he preferred to stay. He once said, "I don't speak Hebrew. I am an Afghan." In November 2013, Simintov announced that he would close his kebab restaurant. Business had slowed down after the American and NATO forces began to leave Afghanistan.

Leaving Afghanistan

In April 2021, Simintov said he would leave Afghanistan for Israel after the High Holy Days in September. He was worried about groups like the Taliban becoming powerful again as the US military pulled out. On August 15, 2021, the Taliban took control of Kabul.

Simintov stayed in Kabul even though he had chances to leave. Businessman Mordechai Kahana even offered to pay for a private plane to take him to Israel. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik also worked with the Turkish government to help him leave. While Simintov first said he wanted to stay to care for the synagogue, it was later reported that his decision might have been influenced by a disagreement about a Jewish divorce document. Another report suggested he wanted to stay to pay off debts to his neighbors.

Eventually, Simintov left Afghanistan in September 2021 with several families who lived nearby. He explained that he left not because of the Taliban, but because he feared other, more extreme groups might take him hostage. After leaving Afghanistan, he settled his divorce. Simintov first went to Pakistan for a short time, then to Turkey on his way to Israel. However, he decided to stay in Istanbul. As he became sicker and needed a wheelchair, he found it hard to live there. He then decided to move to Israel. He arrived in Israel in November 2024 and now lives in Ashdod.

See also

In Spanish: Zablon Simintov para niños

• History of the Jews in Afghanistan
• Bukharan Jews