Zablon Simintov, widely thought to be the last remaining Jew permanently residing in Afghanistan, has told Sputnik that, despite all the hardships he endured during the Taliban's rule over the country, he lives "like a lion" in his home country and has no plans to leave
KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2019) Zablon Simintov, widely thought to be the last remaining Jew permanently residing in Afghanistan, has told Sputnik that, despite all the hardships he endured during the Taliban's rule over the country, he lives "like a lion" in his home country and has no plans to leave.Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood is home to the city's rich. Among multiple local buildings and markets, an old-fashioned two-storey, white-colored house stands out.
It is the decades-long home of a Jewish man who was born in Afghanistan and wants to die here despite the fact that the protracted war has repeatedly shattered his life.
The years of conflict has ravaged the whole country, claiming multiple lives and pushing millions to emigrate. Almost all Afghans have been affected by the fighting, not least of which the small Jewish community in Muslim-dominated Afghanistan.
I WAS BORN HERE, WHY SHOULD I LEAVE?
Over 700 Jewish families, most of them made up of affluent people who owned real estate in the best districts, used to live across Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul and Herat. Like other Afghans, they maintained good ties with locals and celebrated Eid al-Fitr and other Muslim holidays.
Yet, the freedom of their religious practices was restricted after Mohammad Najibullah's government collapsed in 1992. The subsequent rise of extremism and hostilities forced Afghan Jews to leave the country for Israel and the United States.
However, Simintov, now the only remaining Afghan Jew in the Islamic republic, has no wish to leave his home country.
"Why would I leave my country? I'm a lion, I live like a lion here," he told Sputnik at his home, which was filled with teapots and other trinkets.
Simintov, who is now in his sixties, was born and raised in the Herat province.
"Later my father transferred his business to Kabul so he shifted here. My father was also a rabbi, we remained a religious family here," he went on.
He stressed that he loved his family but was "not willing to join them in Israel."
"But I'm willing to meet with them, I can visit any country, unlike other people. Any country issues me visa because I'm from a small ethnic [group] here, but I'm not going to leave because this is my country," he reiterated.
TALIBAN COULD NOT MAKE HIM FLEE
The Taliban's almost five-year rule over Afghanistan is considered one of the darkest periods for the country by many who had to put up with the movement's extremism.
All that, however, was not enough to make Simintov leave the country.
"My worst time in Afghanistan was [during the] Taliban regime. We did not have good business nor did they let us live our life. They [Taliban] beat me up several times, even asked me to close my synagogue and break some of my religious stuff," Simintov recalled.
The world famous Jew, who now runs a synagogue and has a bookshelf filled with religious literature, added that the Taliban's rule was, fortunately, over.
Shifting to the ongoing US-Taliban peace talks, Simintov said he believed the radical movement should ultimately enter talks with Kabul.
"The Taliban should come and under Afghanistan's flag, hold talks and negotiate with the government, just as [Gulbuddin] Hekmatyar [a former mujahideen leader who finally signed a peace deal with the Afghan government] did, and everything will become fine," Simintov said, clearly indicating that he preferred peace over fighting.
Simintov's residence is located in a major downtown commercial area, with his stores downstairs up for rent for good money. Besides this income, he also runs a business like other Afghans. His trade is related to Afghanistan's most popular mineral crystal, the ruby.
"I live like other Afghans, we live like brothers. Look at Rohullah Jan. He is my friend. I have a small business [selling] ruby and other elements, and we are doing it together," Simintov said, two of his friends sitting alongside him.
One of his friends comes from Panjshir, an Afghan province rich in rubies.
According to Simintov, the key to his good relationships with his friends is that "we are born in Afghanistan and grew up like Afghans, so there is no problem between us here; we live like brothers."
