Pakistani Jew succeeds in fight to visit Israel

Published: 10 June 2022

Last updated: 5 March 2024

One of fewer than 200 Jews left in Pakistan, Fishel BenKhald overcame the stipulation in his passport against travelling to Israel

The Pakistani State forbids citizens to travel to Israel on their Pakistani passport — “THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD EXCEPT ISRAEL,” page 3 states.

So, for Karachi’s Fishel BenKhald to have battled the odds to be officially registered as a Jew in Pakistan and perform pilgrimage in Israel on the same passport, is no small feat.

Born to a Muslim father and Jewish mother of Iranian origin, Fishel BenKhald is a civil engineer and works at a kosher certification agency. He has been campaigning to preserve the Bani Israel graveyard, the only Jewish cemetery in Karachi, which is in shambles.

Story of the Nash Didan Jews from Northwest Iran (HeyAlma)

Photo: Pakistani Jew Fishel BenKhald during a recent visit to Israel (@Jew_Pakistani)