Why a senior Sydney rabbi was chosen to grant Afghanistan’s last Jew a divorce

NOMI KALTMANN reveals the key role played by the Sydney rabbinical court and how a Zoom hook-up across four countries granted Zevulun Simantov the divorce that led to his rescue

ZEVULUN SIMANTOV, THE LAST remaining Jew living in Afghanistan, has been the subject of hundreds of articles in the global media since the Taliban took control in September.

Having moved to Kabul several decades ago, he stayed in the city during the previous Taliban takeover, despite being briefly jailed at one point, and refused all offers to leave the country. Even though his family members had long left the country, and the other remaining Jew died in 2005, Simantov had been happy living among his Afghan neighbours and friends.

So his high-profile departure from Kabul, where he had long been a magnet for tourists and journalists, captured the international spotlight.

Now The Jewish Independent can reveal the central role played by senior members of the Sydney Beth Din and the dramatic chain of events, involving rabbis and rescuers spread across the globe, that led to his journey to safety.

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Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, the Chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, lives in Istanbul, Turkey. He has known Simantov for many years and over the past decade provided him with Matzah and other Jewish supplies.

“[Our Alliance] are in touch with Jews around the world living in Muslim countries and we provide them with any assistance that they may need,” Chitrik told The Jewish Independent.