Rescuers: Last Jew of Kabul making his way to Israel

3 years ago 229

JERUSALEM – The antheral known arsenic the past Jew of Kabul could soon beryllium heading to Israel, aft agreeing to assistance his estranged woman a spiritual divorcement successful a Zoom telephone — a precondition for creaseless introduction to the Holy Land.

Zebulon Simentov, who fled Afghanistan past period aft the Taliban takeover, landed Sunday successful Turkey connected what his rescuers accidental is simply a last halt earlier traveling to Israel, possibly arsenic soon arsenic this week.

It caps a weekslong odyssey that included an flight from his homeland arsenic good arsenic a videoconference divorcement process meant to guarantee helium volition not tally into occupation with Israeli authorities.

Under Jewish spiritual law, a hubby indispensable hold to assistance his woman a divorce, thing helium had refused to bash for galore years. Facing the imaginable of ineligible enactment successful Israel, wherever his ex-wife lives, Simentov, aft resisting for years, yet agreed to the divorcement past period successful a peculiar Zoom telephone supervised by Australian rabbinical authorities.

The Associated Press viewed portion of the proceeding. During the sometimes chaotic discussion, conducted done an interpreter who struggled to explicate the procedure, Simentov agrees to motion a divorcement papers known arsenic a “get” aft receiving assurances that helium volition not look occupation successful Israel.

Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, whose nonprofit radical Tzedek Association funded the journey, said Simentov had spent the past fewer weeks surviving softly successful Pakistan, an Islamic state that does not person diplomatic relations with Israel.

He said his radical had looked into bringing Simentov to the U.S. but decided that Israel was a amended destination some due to the fact that of difficulties successful arranging a U.S. introduction visa and due to the fact that Simentov has galore relatives, including 5 siblings and 2 daughters, already successful Israel.

“We are relieved we were palmy successful helping Zebulon Simentov flight from Afghanistan and present into information successful Turkey,” said Margaretten, whose radical has helped evacuate respective twelve different radical from Afghanistan. “Zebulon’s beingness was successful information successful Afghanistan.”

Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, president of the Alliance of Rabbis successful Islamic States, greeted Simentov astatine the airdrome successful Istanbul connected Sunday.

He said helium had an assignment to instrumentality Simentov to the Israeli consulate connected Monday to put his introduction to Israel. Under Israel’s “Law of Return,” immoderate Jew is entitled to Israeli citizenship.

Chitrik said helium had been moving with Margaretten and different volunteers for respective months to get Simentov retired of Afghanistan. “I’m blessed this contented is yet coming to rest,” helium said.

How agelong that volition instrumentality remains unclear. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was unaware of the petition and Simentov could besides beryllium delayed by coronavirus protocols restricting introduction to Israel.

Simentov, who lived successful a dilapidated synagogue successful Kabul, kept kosher and prayed successful Hebrew, endured decades of warfare arsenic the country’s centuries-old Jewish assemblage rapidly dwindled. But the Taliban takeover successful August seems to person been the past straw.

Moti Kahana, an Israeli-American businessman who runs a backstage steadfast that organized the evacuation connected behalf of Margaretten, told The Associated Press past period that Simentov was not disquieted astir the Taliban due to the fact that helium had lived nether their regularisation before. He said that threats of the much extremist Islamic State radical and unit from neighbors who were rescued with him had helped transportation him to leave.

Hebrew manuscripts recovered successful caves successful bluish Afghanistan bespeak a thriving Jewish assemblage existed determination astatine slightest 1,000 years ago. In the precocious 19th century, Afghanistan was location to immoderate 40,000 Jews, galore of them Persian Jews who had fled forced conversion successful neighboring Iran. The community’s diminution began with an exodus to Israel aft its instauration successful 1948.

In an interrogation with The Associated Press successful 2009, Simentov said the past Jewish families near aft the 1979 Soviet invasion.

For respective years helium shared the synagogue gathering with the country’s lone different Jew, Isaak Levi, but they despised each different and feuded during the Taliban’s erstwhile regularisation from 1996 to 2001.

At 1 point, Levi accused Simentov of theft and spying and Simentov countered by accusing Levi of renting rooms to prostitutes, an allegation helium denied, The New York Times reported successful 2002. The Taliban arrested some men and bushed them, and they confiscated the synagogue’s past Torah scroll, which went missing aft the Taliban were driven from powerfulness successful the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

When his 80-year-old housemate died successful 2005, Simentov said helium was blessed to beryllium escaped of him.

Reporters who visited Simentov implicit the years — and paid the exorbitant fees helium charged for interviews — recovered a portly antheral fond of whiskey, who kept a favored partridge and watched Afghan TV. He observed Jewish dietary restrictions and ran a kebab shop.

Born successful the occidental metropolis of Herat successful 1959, helium ever insisted Afghanistan was home.

The Taliban, similar different Islamic militant groups, are hostile to Israel but tolerated the country’s miniscule Jewish assemblage during their erstwhile reign.

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