The Sumalak is a widespread tradition among the Turkic tribes of Central Asia. This is the delicacy eaten on the Nowruz holiday, heralding the beginning of spring. The philologist Mahmoud Kashkari, who lived in the 15th century, explained that 'suma' means sprouted wheat and is of Turkish origin. The wheat is soaked in water until it germinates. After that, it is dried and bread is made from it.

It was twilight. Papa, a big man, sat cross-legged on the rug on the porch. Before him were a glass of pungent ouzo and a smoking hookah. The hookah bubbled and Papa watched the sinking city like a sphinx; the cool breezes ascending from the lowlands brought a new wind that swirled the basil, the geranium, the rosemary and rue, that dispersed strong incense fragrances.

The tiny communities in Central Asia in general and the Iranian space in particular were almost like a sealed book. We knew little about the connection of the Afghan Jews to the Hebrew language in recent generations.

Benzion D. Yehoshua is a Writer and Peoples researcher of Central Asia. He was born in Jerusalem. His father Rafael was born in Herat, Afghanistan and immigrated to Jerusalem on 1898 as a child. Benzion Studied in The Hebrew University Jewish studies and oriental studies. He was a director-general and the chief editor of the Magnes Press,

I enjoyed reading the comprehensive and interesting research work of the late Zeev Gol on the Afghan community portal. I am proud of him for his instructive research, which reveals an unknown period, in the history of the people of Israel in the diaspora. As a member of the Herat Jewish community, who immigrated to Israel in 1959, I would like to add a few details in connection with this research:

In Jewish history, little is known about the organization and intra- as well as extra-communal relations of Jewish communities in Afghanistan. What were their means of communication, education and knowledge transfer? Did they read and produce texts in Hebrew, alongside Aramaic and Judeo-Persian? In this article, we will examine these issues with the example of the Garji family, whose members served as rabbis

Afghanistan's relations with the countries of the world have been affected throughout the generations by its geographical location as a country cut off from the sea and serving as a land crossing country to India, alongside being a buffer state between two superpowers and in its glory days a Persian spoil was even between three countries.

En la noche de bodas Shimshón se dedicó a resolver crucigramas. Por más que intentó e intentó, no logró encontrar la palabra que correspondiera a la definición: “Custodio de las mujeres en el palacio real”.

The ancient city of Balkh is a very old city and it was one of the most important centers of the eastern Islamic world. ities in the oriental kingdoms. The province of Balkh was noted for its orchards, horse-breeding and minerals, and but especially mainly for its location on the international trade routes to China and India , which attracted conquerors and immigrants, among them Jews. The Balkh region served as a crossroad meeting

Seven perfect righteous, seven sons of Miriam the daughter of Nahtom who was imprisoned together with her seven sons, as mentioned in the Midrash Eycha Rabati on the verse 'Over these I weep' [Lamentation, 1, 16] Yossifoon [Josephus] mentions 'Hannah and her seven sons',

Dear Ariane, During my university studies, I studied with the late Dr. Sarah Sorour Soroudi, who taught us about Iranian folk poetry. Among the Judeo-Persian songs we studied and analyzed was the wedding song

Mullah Matityah (Herat 1845-Jerusalem 1917) was son of Rabbi Mordecai Garji and rabbi of the Afghan community and in the land of Israel, teacher and educator, gifted preacher, chronicler, author of commentaries and sermons, admired by his community.

Dear Ben, Thank you and same to you! I took a picture of a cool sukka on a Vienna balcony last year. Hope you are well & let me know your thoughts about agents/publishers! Ariane

The earliest evidence of the existence of Jewish life in Afghanistan is a rock inscription from the year 752 A.D. inscribed in Persian but using Hebrew letters. Afghanistan is a Sunni Islamic state whose variegated population is composed of Persian, Arabic and Mongol conquerors. The

Two prominent rabbis served as chief rabbis during the days of the great immigration after the establishment of the state of Israel: the Ashkenazi rabbi Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Halevi Herzog (1888-1959; served as chief rabbi in the years 1936-1959) and the Sephardi Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Chai Uziel (1880-1953; served in the years 1953-1939). The differences in their

The tiny communities in Central Asia in general and the Iranian space in particular were almost like a sealed book. We knew little about the connection of the Afghan Jews to the Hebrew language in recent generations. Did they write and read Hebrew and create in the Hebrew language alongside Aramaic and Judeo-Persian? Did the Jews of the area

ההקלות שניתנו ברוסיה הצארית לסוחרים היהודיים מבוכרה סייעו להתפשטות הדעה כי מצב היהודים בממלכה הרוסית טוב יותר ממצבם באמירות הבוכרית. כאשר כבש הצאר את מרכז אסיה בשנים 1884-1864, קידמו היהודים בברכה את בואם של הרוסים ואפילו סייעו להם. אמירות בוכרה היתה לווסל של רוסיה הצארית, וחלקים גדולים משטחה של האמירות עברו לשליטה רוסית ונכללו בחבל טורקסטן.

The people in Afghanistan speak mainly two languages, Pashto and Dari. These are living languages and of course many dialects emerged from them. Most of the Jews in Afghanistan, in Herat and Kabul, spoke Dari, an important dialect of Persian and there is extensive literature and journalism in this language. It is also the language spoken mainly in the western part of Afghanistan,

The people in Afghanistan speak mainly two languages, Pashto and Dari. These are living languages and of course many dialects emerged from them. Most of the Jews in Afghanistan, in Herat and Kabul, spoke Dari, an important dialect of Persian and there is extensive literature and journalism in this language. It is also the language spoken mainly in the western part of Afghanistan, although there

A unique book with a rich plot, just as the writer Ben-Zion Yehoshua knows how to write. With talent, wisdom, emotion and knowledge, he is able to convey a fascinating story. The reader feels the heartbeats of his heroes, their experiences and the dying of their souls in the vicissitudes of their lives.

The Afghan Jew lived in the East, but his heart was in the West – to Jerusalem. The Land of Israel, called in his words Yerushalayim , appeared in his eyes as an ethereal concept, as a burden for the soul, a place where heaven and earth meet.

In Jewish history, little is known about the organization and intra- as well as extra-communal relations of Jewish communities in Afghanistan. What were their means of communication, education and knowledge transfer? Did they read and produce texts in Hebrew, alongside Aramaic and Judeo-Persian? In this article, we will examine these issues with the example of the Garji family, whose members served as rabbis and educators for

Zohar Hanegbi – Bracha Yaniv Afghanistan – The Synagogue and the Jewish Home. Jerusalem 1991. 180p. Benzion D. Yehoshua-Raz, From the Lost Tribes in Afghanistan to the Mashhad Jewish converts of Iran [in Hebrew], Jerusalem 1992, 593 p. +64 plates+ Maps. An Apple from the Tree of Knoledge – Fifty Folktales from Afghanistan. Related [in Hebrew] by Rafael Yehoshua-Raz, Jerusalem 1986, 176 p. Reuben Kashani, The Jews of Persia, Bukhara and Afghanistan [in Hebrew], Jerusalem 2001. 160 p.

1. Zevulun Kort born in Afghanistan (1914). Immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1928. Dozens of customs and another 500 folktales recorded in the folktale archive in Haifa. He published two books of folk tales from Afghanistan. The interview was at his home in Tel Aviv on 26.11.1987. He passed away.

In the novel Simorgh - An Afghan Jew on the Silk Road, the Jerusalem writer and researcher Benzion D. Yehoshua presents us the fascinating world of Elisha-Hai, whose father was murdered by road robbers

The paper describes the importance of the Hebrew language among the Jews of Afghanistan in the 18th and 19th centuries. It attempts to show that the use of Hebrew was widespread, not only among elites, but in different aspects of life, thereby also pointing out trajectories of passing on knowledge across countries and generations.

An answer to the questions compiled by Dr. Arian Sajed By Ben-Zion Yehoshua The article is a contribution to the modern history of the Jews of Afghanistan, aspects of social and religious transformation. The Garji family is a documented example of community leaders, preachers,

The most of the Jews of Afghanistan in the last Centuries immigrated from Bukhara and from Persia. The ancient Jewish community before the Mongol conquest was large amount according to this period. In the last Centuries only a tiny amount remained from the ancient community. The immigration movement included many

The tiny communities in Central Asia in general and the Iranian space in Persian speaking regions such as Iran and Afghanistan particular were almost like a sealed book. We know little about the connection of the Afghan Jews to the Hebrew

The earliest evidence of the existence of Jewish life in Afghanistan is a rock inscription from the year 752 A.D. inscribed in Persian but using Hebrew letters. Afghanistan is a Sunni Islamic state whose variegated population is composed of Persian, Arabic and Mongol conquerors. The

Ladies and gentelmen, dear friends, dear my family! I have the pleassure to give you in my lecture some aspects about Afghanistan from my point of view. 15 years I spent to research the ancient and the modern history of Afghanistan, The manners and daily life of the Jewish communities in Mashaad, the eastern part of Iran and

The oral and written traditions about the history of the Afghan people, who call themselves 'Banei Israel', are a combination of legend and reality. According to them, they were exiled by Bokhtu-n-Nazar (Nebuchadnezzar). They reach Mesopotamia and from there they penetrate into Persia and then into the Ghor region in western Afghanistan.

The Jews of Afghanistan are a blend of Jews from Bukhara's principalities and Persia who migrated to Afghanistan throughout the ages. The ancient Jewry from before the Mongolian conquest was large for the period, but only a small number survived to reach the modern era. Thousands of immigrants joined this remnant of ancient Jewry. Afghan Jews dealt mainly in trade in all its levels, from small business to international players. There were a few vintners who leased the land for the grapes. Jews,

The first groups of Afghan immigrants arrived in Israel at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and their number in the Land of Israel by the eve of the First World War reached 100 people. They were the first communal nucleus to purchase land, and joined the immigrants of Mashhad and Bukhara. Together they built the Bukhari

Dear Ben, Thank you for sending the list with the interviewees. I will connect them with specific statements in the text later on with your help. I have a few general questions, followed by a list of concrete questions that the reviewers raised for which I need your help.

Historical overview Kabul has been the capital of Afghanistan since 1773. QKandahar was the capital between 1706-1773( Provide dates, pleasef)orehand. . TToday (??) Kabul has a population of a2.5 millions and a half residents; only one of them is a Jew. . Today there is only one Jew left. The city, 5,900 feet (1,800 meters) above thr sea level, was founded three thousand years ago. Due to its location on the route to India and the Khaybaer Pass,

Mullah Binyamin inyamin Guol-Shauloff (Herat 1859-Jerusalem 1929) was a, Jewish publisher, entrepreneur in construction and an important public figure. He was one of the first settlers in Jerusalem from among the Afghan Jews together with his brothers, Israel and Natanel.

El cantor litúrgico con túnica y gorro blancos cantaba en un tono barítono que toda ópera aclamaría. También el coro era cautivante. La oración de “Kol Nidrei” en la gran sinagoga de Frankfurt era estremecedora, sin embargo, aunque la plegaría ascendía por escaleras de santidad, muchos de los visitantes perdieron rápidamente interés en lo que sucedía a su alrededor. El bullicio creó allí una confusión de voces disonantes.

'Jerusalem is the synagogue of the world' writes Mullah Yosef Garji, in his commentary to the book of Psalms 'Edut bi-Yehosef' (Jerusalem 1926, reprinted: Jerusalem 1972). The love of Zion arose from religious affinity and anticipation of

The marriages took place at a young age, as in other Jewish communities, due to the desire to maintain the purity of the family, to overcome the evil inclination, and due to the patriarchal pride that travels from the number of sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.

Dear Ariane In my big book From The Lost Tribes in Afghanistan to the Mashhad Jewish converts of Iran' 579 p.+plates, Jerusalem 1992 I dedicated a chapter to the human life cycle and especially to wedding customs pages 424-392

Marriage at an early age were mainly from the desire to keep the family purity. Marriage of minors were considered tried remedy to extend the lives of children in the community where mortality rate of children and teenagers was particularly high.

Mulla Yaakov Siman-Tov [Herat 1845 – Jerusalem 1918]. Chief Rabbi of Afghanistan. Philosopher and poet. His theological book in Judeo-Persian, Khayat el-Rukh, with 13 prunciples of Judaism and Judeo Sufism. His family came to

הקהילות הזעירות במרכז אסיה בכלל ובמרחב האיראני בפרט היו כמעט כספר חתום. מעט ידענו על זיקתם של יהודי אפגניסטן בדורות האחרונים ללשון העברית – האם למדו עברית וכתבו ויצרו בלשון העברית לצד ארמית ופרסית-יהודית? האם יהודי המרחב תקשרו בלשון העברית בתוך הקהילה ומחוצה לה? האם

The people in Afghanistan speak mainly two languages, Pashto and Dari. These are living languages and of course many dialects emerged from them. Most of the Jews in Afghanistan, in Herat and Kabul, spoke Dari, an important dialect of Persian and there is extensive literature and journalism in this language. It is also the language spoken mainly in the western part of Afghanistan, although there is a difference between Dari Kabuli and Dari

The tiny communities in Central Asia in general and the Iranian space in particular were almost like a sealed book. We knew little about the connection of the Afghan Jews to the Hebrew language in recent generations. Did they write and read Hebrew and create in the Hebrew language alongside Aramaic and Judeo-Persian? Did the Jews of the area communicate in the Hebrew language inside and outside the community? Did they correspond with Jewish institutions in Israel and abroad in