Zablon Simintov

Zablon Simintov
Born	1959 (age 57–58) Herat, Afghanistan
Residence	Kabul, Afghanistan
Other names	زیلون سیمنتو
Known for	being the sole remaining Jew permanently residing in Afghanistan

Zablon Simintov (born 1959 in Herat) is an Afghan carpet trader and restaurateur who is believed to be the last remaining Jew in Afghanistan. He is also the caretaker of the only synagogue in Kabul. His name has also been transcribed in English as Zebulon Simentov, Zabolon Simentov and Zabolon Simantov.

Simintov had lived with the second last remaining Jewish man in Afghanistan, Ishaq (Isaac) Levin, who died on January 26, 2005, aged around 80. The story of Simintov and Levin was the basis for a British play. Simintov deprecated Levin in an interview with British journalist Martin Fletcher. Levin had initially welcomed Simintov but the two fell out permanently when Simintov offered the caretaker help to emigrate to Israel to join the rest of the former Kabul Jewish community. Simintov was adamant he made the suggestion only as he thought Kabul was too cold for the old man, but the older man took umbrage, claiming Simintov was trying to take over the synagogue. A feud ensued, with the Taliban becoming involved after both men reported each other to the authorities for alleged wrongdoings ranging from running a brothel to misappropriating religious objects.

Simintov says it is not easy to practice his religion alone. However, he has obtained special permission from the nearest rabbi, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to slaughter his own meat in line with kosher dietary laws which can normally only be done by a specially trained Jewish butcher. Simintov lives alone in a small room next to an old synagogue on Flower Street in Kabul and receives donations from Jewish groups abroad and sympathetic Muslim locals. His wife and two daughters live in Israel. When asked during an interview whether he would emigrate to Israel, Simintov retorted, "Go to Israel? What business do I have there? Why should I leave?" In a video interview by Al Jazeera on 17 September 2007, Simentov suggested that he may be interested in moving to Israel to join his two daughters.

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