Afghanistan has a Jewish history that may date back at least 2,700 years, according to primary sources discovered in 2013 in ex-Taliban controlled areas.

The vast majority of the Jewish population left Afghanistan in the 1960‘s. By 1969, only ~300 Jews lived in Afghanistan, most of whom left in 1979 after the Soviet invasion. In truth, many left simply in search of life in a country not ravaged by war. In the more rural areas of Afghanistan, they were allowed to practice their religion without being murdered for it. However, by 1996, only 10 Jews remained in Afghanistan, nearly all in Kabul. It seems that the Taliban tolerated these Jewish members, despite their feelings towards Israel.

By the late 1990's, only two Jews remained - Zablon Simintov and Isaac Levy. The story of these two is quite amazing. Simintov actually escaped Afghanistan to Israel in 1998 with his family, only to return after two months because he felt Afghanistan was his homeland. Both men independently claimed that they got along well with their Muslim neighbors. The two men lived on opposite ends of the one remaining synagogue in Kabul, and they constantly argued over it and who was the rightful owner of the Torah it held. They even appealed, separately, to Taliban leadership regarding the others habits. The Taliban arrested them - and beat them, just like other prisoners - but quickly became so irritated by their constant bickering that they let them go. About Levy, Simintov told The New York Times in 2002: “I don’t talk to him, he’s the devil. A dog is better than him … I don’t have many complaints about the Taliban, but I have a lot of complaints about him.”

In actuality, unfortunately their bickering allowed the Taliban to abscond with the infamous missing Torah, which has been presumed to be sold on the black market. Various groups offered to help Levy leave Afghanistan, but he refused, and he died in January of 2005. And of course you know the story of Simintov - the last remaining Jew. He left- not because of the Taliban, but because of the threat inside the country from the Islamic State (ISIL.)