Afghanistan’s last Jew arrives in Israel three years after fleeing Taliban rule

Simantov, 65, initially fled Afghanistan in September 2021, traveling with the help of businessman Moti Kahana. They made their way first to Istanbul, Turkey, before Simantov, who had become increasingly ill and now uses a wheelchair, opted to stay in Turkey for a time. However, he eventually decided to move to Israel due to health challenges, The UK Jewish News reported.

Kahana, speaking to The Jewish News, explained that Simantov found it difficult to continue living in Turkey due to his deteriorating health, which ultimately prompted his move to Israel.

Simantov's older brother, Binyamin, shared his surprise at hearing of his brother’s arrival in Israel. “I couldn’t believe what I heard,” Binyamin told Walla news. “On Saturday evening, we drove to see him at his home in southern Israel. We haven’t seen each other in nearly 25 years,” times of Israel reports.

Simantov, who has five siblings and two daughters living in Israel, had previously been reluctant to leave Afghanistan. He had made the decision to stay in the country for many years, partly due to unresolved issues related to his divorce. After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Simantov eventually agreed to leave, with Kahana’s assistance. The operation also helped evacuate around 30 Afghan women and children.

Simantov had long resisted traveling to Israel, where his wife resides, because of his refusal to grant her a Jewish divorce, a requirement in the religious Jewish community. His decision to leave Afghanistan followed years of hesitation, compounded by his fear of confronting rabbinic authorities over the divorce issue.

The Jewish Agency of Israel declined to comment on individual Aliyah cases when contacted by Walla news.