Farm Aid, Band-Aid….now, Passover Aid? There may not be an upcoming concert for Passover help (partially because the holiday has passed), but stories of individuals helping others during Pesach never cease.
One recent story involves the “last living Jew in Afghanistan†celebrating Passover with the help of an American. Holliswood, Queens, resident Jack Abraham loaded up his supermarket cart with Passover goodies to send to Zevulon Simantov. Born in Afghanistan, Abraham started the practice in 2003.
Abraham is a true mensch for helping someone otherwise unable to celebrate the Jewish holiday of liberation, stuck in a country marked by oppression. If we think we have it bad living in the United States where anti-Semitism is not the norm, imagine how difficult it must be for a man to be the only Jew, without the support of his peers, living in a country that is largely anti-Semitic. He probably faces more hatred than we could ever imagine on a daily basis and does not even have a community around him with similar views to help him.
That raises the question: should Simantov be living in Afghanistan? With Hamid Karzai’s limited governmental power and the war-torn status of the nation, it is hardly safe for him to live there. Granted, Afghanistan is his home, but, if he wants to remain alive, he’d definitely be safer in the United States or Israel. His determination to cling to the ways of his ancestors, Jews who populated Afghanistan, is admirable. Despite all of the chaos around him, Simantov remains committed to his religious identity and his national identity. He does not see the conflict in being an Afghani Jew, even if he is the only one.
That is all the more reason why individuals should support Jewish communities in Islamic countries. People of any religion should be able to live legally peacefully in whatever country they please, without fear of reprisal. Encouraging Jews to establish peaceful communities in Muslim countries might show others that we don’t mean any harm. That being said, there is an inherent danger in living in a potentially hostile environment. At the same time, a risk must be taken to get anywhere.
What does Simantov’s persistence say about Judaism? Like Moses and the Israelites, Simantov is a survivor. We know that from past tragedies, but also from its persistence in areas that have been hostile to Judaism. Jews have hung on in areas where they were killed, hated, and tortured, disregarding the negative opinions others had of them. Simantov embodies the ideal of Moses. Moses could have easily stayed an Egyptian prince and lived a life of luxury while his people suffered. Simantov could move out of his ancestral Afghanistan and thrive in another country, but he chose the hard route, like Moses. Both are fighting for their freedom of religion in countries that largely hate them.
While I admire his courage, I don’t believe Simantov should necessarily stay in Afghanistan. He could preserve the Afghani Jewish heritage in America or Israel. If he stays, he upholds his beliefs, but risks getting killed. If he leaves, he stays alive, but leaves his homeland behind. What’s the best course of action? I’ll leave that up to him.
