No More Jews in Afghanistan

Following the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, Zebulon Simantov was said to be the last Jew in the country. However, reports now name 83-year-old Tova Moradi, who fled Afghanistan last month, as the holder of that title. Whoever was the last to leave, what is now certain is that Afghanistan has no more Jews. The country once hosted a healthy Jewish community numbering some 50,000.

There were female athletes and students on the flight. Young, motivated, with a very bleak future under Taliban. Human rights activists, female police officers, judges, all blacklisted. And there was also this lovely woman – Tova Moradi. Born to a big Jewish family in Kabul > pic.twitter.com/RaAqv8OyTq

— Boaz Arad 博雅 (@aradboaz) October 29, 2021

The Jerusalem Post reported that Moradi left Kabul in October with more than 20 grandchildren. Their escape was organized by the Israeli human rights organization IsraAid. Moradi was herself one of 10 children. At the age of 16, she ran off and married a Muslim. The Jewish community ostracized them. She never adopted her husband’s religion, but kept Jewish traditions, her daughter told the Associated Press. She was known as a Jew in her neighborhood. Several brothers live in Israel, and her parents are buried in Jerusalem. The elderly woman, who is even distantly related to Simantov, first flew to to Albania before being taken to resettle in Canada. She also desires to visit relatives in Israel.