Kaboul, Zaboab Simintov (59) is standing in front of his house à Kaboul s streets, where on any given day there is a risk of a bomb attack, with a kippah on his head as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It is late afternoon, the shops are open and there is a lot of traffic dans le quartier de downtown.
He is not soucieux to wear the head covering openly on the streets like some Jews in Berlin-Neukölln would be. « All my neighbors à Kaboul know me. No one here has a problem with Jews.“
Simintov isn’t just one of many Jews. He is the only Juif who lives en Afghanistan. That’s what he says and official comité agencies say exactly the same. IMAGE reporters paid Simintov a visit à Kaboul.
« it’s true, I am the last Juif who lives here. My family immigrated to Israel and so did many others. Most of them left Afghanistan when Israël, ce qui founded and after the communists took over the country for a lettre time.“
Photo: Kai Diekmann
According to estimates, up to 40,000 Jews lived en Afghanistan until the early 19th century.
His family, he has five siblings altogether, have moved to Israel. His wife and his two daughters, too. He has vowed to never move there. « I don’t speak hebrew. I am an Afghan. Why should I live in a different country?“
Simintov was born à Herat, and has always lived en Afghanistan. No matter what has happened to him in the past. Even when the Taliban invaded the country, he did not escape and remained in the city. The terrorists arrested Simintov and kept him en prison for three weeks. Afterwards, they let him go. « They thought I was a missionaire who wanted to convert people to Christianity. When they realized that I was a Jew, they let me go.“
