The Jewish community of Afghanistan can be traced back at least 800 years. In the 12th century, Benjamin of Tudela claimed that there were 80,000 Jews in the Ghazni on the River Gozan. The community was isolated and had little contact with the outside world. In the first half of the 19th century, many Persian Jews came to Afghanistan fleeing the forced conversion in Meshad, and 40,000 Jews were living there in the second part of the 19th century. In 1948 there were some 5,000 Jews in the country, but the vast majority left the country for Israel in the early 1950s. Today nearly all the remaining Jews live in Kabul. There is a synagogue on Charshi Torabazein Street.

Aliya: Since 1948, 4,123 Afghan Jews have emigrated to Israel.

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