While the history of Afghan Jews dates back at least to the 7th century CE, the country’s last Jew left in in 2021. Currently, some 2,000 Afghan Jews live in New York City. Freshta Jalalzai, herself born in Afghanistan, describes a visit to one of their synagogues in Queens:
Barukh Sharabat, an Afghan Jew in his early sixties, greeted me at the door. Prone as we Afghans are to nostalgia, almost immediately he lamented to me: “Alas! We lost our country.” He was right. He could not imagine returning to Afghanistan, and like many of my fellow country folk, neither could I.
For many elders, holding onto their ancient heritage involves traditional dishes and antique objects that they spirited out of Afghanistan. These artifacts, family jewels, and photos are the only tangible links that remain of their lost homeland. Whenever members of the community invited me to their homes, they lovingly unwrapped these prized possessions and regaled me with the stories of how much the objects meant to their family histories.
Ziphora Sharbat treasures an antique oil lamp with a cotton wick. Observant Jewish women light candles on Sabbath, so when Sharbat married, her mother gifted her the silver bowls [for holding oil] that were fashioned in Herat, western Afghanistan, as a symbol of her faith. Sharbat prefers to use this ceremonial item over regular wax candles, as per ancient custom.
Read more on New Lines: https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/an-afghan-synagogue-thrives-in-queens/