Last Jew in Afghanistan: A True Story of Faith and Survival Under Taliban Rule

The Last Jew in Afghanistan
This isn't just a headline-it's the true story of Zebulon Simentov, a man clinging to his roots in a country that's slipping away. Imagine: Kabul, 2021. As NATO troops pack up and the Taliban storms back in, Zebulon stays. He's the last Jew left, alone in a crumbling synagogue that once echoed with prayers and laughter. While soldiers from USA and 38 other nations flee, this stubborn, soulful man digs in his heels. But how much can one person take?
Every Friday, as the sun dips, Zebulon lights Shabbat candles in a city ruled by fear. He whispers ancient prayers, wraps the worn leather of his tefillin around his arm, and tries to remember what community felt like. Outside, the Taliban and ISIS hunt shadows-but inside, he's holding onto something fragile: faith, memory, the ghost of a life that's vanished. Israel whispers promises of safety, but Kabul's dust is in his bones.
Here's the thing: Zebulon isn't just surviving. He's fighting to stay human in a place where cruelty's the norm. In a world where hate's getting louder, his quiet defiance-praying in a shuttered synagogue, keeping kosher in a warzone-feels like a miracle. Every ritual is a rebellion. Every day he stays, he's screaming without making a sound: I'm still here.
This story isn't about politics. It's about a man walking Kabul's shattered streets, heart racing, wondering if today's the day they'll come for him. It's about the ache of loneliness, the stubborn glow of hope, and what happens when your whole world shrinks to four walls and a prayer.
The Last Jew in Afghanistan will wreck you. It'll also make you believe in the stupid, beautiful stubbornness of the human spirit. Because even in hell, Zebulon lights a candle. Even in silence, he hums a hymn.