Residents and activists in Herat province have urged the Afghan government to rehabilitate synagogues and other Jewish historical sites from when there was a community present in the 1980s.
One of four synagogues in Herat province, in the west of Afghanistan, is under construction by the provincial directorate of information and culture, local officials said.
Thousands of Jews came to Afghanistan from Iran when limitations were imposed on religious minorities in that country. They lived in an area called Mohmand which was then renamed to Moosaeeha’s (Jews) region.
The Jews were living peacefully with their Afghan brothers in Herat until the civil war began in late 1980s. They started leaving the country in 1987.
Herat residents have good memories from them. The Jews were mostly involved in trade such as silk, clothes and groceries.
“We had good relationships. We had family relationships and were inviting each other and we did participate in each others’ ceremonies, but now they are not here,” said Mohammad Nader, a resident of Moosaeeha area in Herat.
When the Jews left Herat, out of the four synagogues, the Gorkiya Synagogue was changed into a mosque, the Shamayel Synagogue became a school, the Yoha Synagogue is now under government reconstruction and the Gorgia Synagogue is partly damaged, according to officials.
