36 Jews in Bahrain — and at Least One in Afghanistan — Staying Put
In its second feature about Jews in the Arab-Muslim world as many days, the New York Times has a video about the “Last Jew in Afghanistan,” Zablon Simantov. Jews have a long history in the country — dating back at least to the 7th century Common Era — but today, the vast majority live elsewhere. In the five-minute documentary by Oliver Englehart, Simantov predicts that Jews won’t return to the country until Jihadist groups disperse, and until the nation has a stable government. He says that even though he cannot safely wear a kippah outside of his home, he has no plans to leave Afghanistan.
On Monday, the Times published a story about the Bahrain’s 36 remaining Jews. Among them is its to the United States, Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo. She (yes, she) is apparently the Arab world’s first Jewish ambassador posted abroad.
Below is a photo of Nonoo with former president George W. Bush.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
