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A Political and Economic History of the Jews of Afghanistan PDF

300 Pages·2015·2.408 MB·English
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A Political and Economic History of the Jews of Afghanistan Brill’s Series in Jewish Studies Series Editor David S. Katz Volume 54 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/bsjs Cover illustration: The photo on the left shows Shoshana Gul and Solomon Gad’s engagement party, Kabul 1943. Photo courtesy of Osnat Gad. The photo on the right shows Rivka Raz and Reuven Menashe on their wedding day, Tel Aviv 1940. Photo courtesy of Igal Menashe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Koplik, Sara, author.  A political and economic history of the Jews of Afghanistan / by Sara Koplik.   pages cm. —  (Brill's series in Jewish studies ; volume 54)  Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-28866-9 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-29238-3 (e-book) 1. Jews—Afghanistan—History—19th century. 2. Jews—Afghanistan—History—20th century.  3. Jews—Persecutions—Afghanistan. 4. Afghanistan—Ethnic relations. I. Title.  DS135.A23K67 2015  958.1’004924—dc23 2015020191 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 0926-2261 isbn 978-90-04-28866-9 (hardback) isbn 978-90-04-29238-3 (e-book) Copyright 2015 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and Hotei Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. This work is dedicated in honor of Nathan Weinstock, scholar, advocate and kind soul, who believed in my work when I was full of doubt and encouraged me to keep going; to his beloved wife, Micheline Weinstock, who showers me with love; to my own mother, Emily Meira Koplik who has enabled my every step; and in memory of my father, Lewis Henry Koplik. Zikrono matok k’davash, his memory is as sweet as honey. ∵ Contents Acknowledgements xi Abbreviations for Archival Sources xv Various Va’adot: An Explanatory Note xvi Glossary of Terms xvii Rulers of Afghanistan (1747–1973) xx Note on Hebrew Transliteration xxi 1 Introduction 1 Entrepreneurial Minorities and Anti-Semitism in Afghanistan 3 Encountering Nationalist Sentiments in Afghanistan 5 Historiographical Trends 7 Archival Sources 9 2 Modern Jewish Settlement in Afghanistan: Origins and Customs 15 Theories on the Origins of Afghanistani Jewry 15 Jewish Settlement in Mashhad 20 Jewish Settlement in Afghanistan 21 The Forcible Conversion of the Mashhadi Community 22 The Persian Siege of Herat 26 Daily Life among the Jews of Afghanistan 29 Betrothal and Marriage Customs 30 Women’s Experiences 33 Men’s Lives 35 Communal Structures and Social Control 36 Peddlers and Merchants 38 Inter-Communal Ties: The Turkmen-Jewish Relationship 43 International Connections through Trade 46 3 A Survey of the Modern Political and Economic History of Afghanistan (1747–1933) 49 Afghanistan’s Foundation 49 The First Anglo-Afghan War: Encountering the British Empire 50 Dost Muhammad Khan: Consolidating Afghanistan’s Borders 51 Second Anglo-Afghan War: Limiting Afghanistan’s Independence 53 Shattering Afghanistan’s Ethnic Mosaic: The Rule of the ‘Iron Amir’ 53 Negotiating ʻAbd al-Rahman’s Rule: The Challenges to the Jewish Community 56 viii contents Habibullah Khan: Edging Towards Full Sovereignty 58 The Jewish Community under Habibullah: A Resumption of Commerce 60 World War I and Its Political Legacy 62 Amanullah: Imagination without Grounding 63 Minorities under Amanullah: A Time of Tolerance 65 Hindus 65 The Hazara 67 Jews 68 Amanullah’s Encouragement of Education 69 Patterns of Jewish Education 70 A Less Tolerated Minority: The Ahmadiyas 71 Reform and Revolt 72 Habibullah Kalakani: Reign of Terror 75 Minorities under Kalakani 77 Muhammad Nadir’s Rise 79 The Rule of Muhammad Nadir Shah: Pacification and Consolidation 81 4 Northern Afghanistan’s Soviet Refugee Crisis (1932–1936) 84 Causes of the Refugee Crisis 84 Consequences for Central Asian Jewry 85 Afghan Response to Refugees 87 Muslim Refugees 88 Christian Refugees 89 Jewish Refugees: Petitioning for Assistance 90 Viewing Refugees as Spies: Afghan and British Perceptions 94 Comparing Refugee Policy in Afghanistan and Persia 95 The Expulsion of the Local Jewish Population 97 Riot in Herat during the Summer of 1935 100 Implications of the Expulsion of the Afghanistani Jews from the North 104 British Jewry’s Reactions to the Afghanistani Community 107 Official British Response 109 Conclusion 113 5 Afghan Economic Policies in the 1930s 114 Economic Policies: The Bank-i Milli and the Rise of the Monopoly System 114 The Shirkat System’s Impact on the Karakul Trade 119 Political Aims of the Monopoly System: Limiting Soviet Influence 124 Contents ix Case Study: Jacob Pinhas, a Jewish Karakul Trader 127 Consequences of the Monopoly System: An Economic Downturn 129 Successful Opposition to the Shirkat System: The Fruit Trade 132 Da Afghanistan Bank: A Failed Check on the Power of the Bank-i Milli 134 Conclusion 135 6 World War II’s Impact on Afghanistan 137 Pre-War Anxiety 137 German Influence 145 The Nazi Party in Afghanistan 152 Nazi Influenced Anti-Semitism 155 ʻAbd al-Majid Khan: Primary Negotiator with the Third Reich 158 Link between anti-Communism and anti-Semitism in Afghan Policy 164 Replacing German Specialists with Jews: First Contact between Afghanistan and the Yishuv 166 The Precarious Situation of Jews in Afghanistan during World War II 169 The War-Time Economy: Stresses Masked 176 The Postwar Economy: Facing Scarcity and Famine 179 7 ‘Aliya: Messianic Zionism and Leaving Afghanistan 185 First Contact with the Israeli Government 185 Religious and Economic Rationale for ‘Aliya 190 The Appeal of Zionism 192 Anger at an Inefficient Bureaucracy and Enquiries by the World Jewish Congress 196 Refugee Crisis in India: A Precarious Medical and Legal Situation 199 Causes of Refugee Crisis 201 Deportation from Peshawar 203 Negotiating with British Authorities 205 Conflict between the Jewish Agency and Afghanistani Va’adot in Eretz Yisrael 207 Legal Emigration from Afghanistan: The Role of Jewish Organizations 210 Persecution in the Muslim World 213 Afghan Rationale for Legal Emigration: Gaining Support for Pashtunistan 215 Prejudice against the Jewish Community Lessened through Afghan Myth of Ethnogenesis 218 Emigration Commences 222 x contents Afghanistani Jews Entering and Languishing in Iran 225 Situation Improves After 1952 232 Forcible Conversion in the 1950s: Tova Shamualoff’s Kidnapping 233 The Last Jew of Kabul 236 Conclusion 237 Appendix 1 243 Bibliography 244 Plate Section 265 Index 272

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