The Jewish population of Kabul equals one.  His name is Zablon Simintov, and believe it or not, he lives about ½ mile from me right now.  The stories about him state that he doesn’t take visitors.  However, he will open his door if you bring him a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red whiskey.  There was a large Jewish population in Afghanistan at one time, but most immigrated to Israel starting around 1948 and culminated after the Soviet invasion of 1979 supposedly leaving about 10 Jews in the entire country in 1996.  That number is now down to one.  Of course, you must now also add the Jewish people that are here due to military deployments or working in other Government and Non-government organizations.

So, now that you know the situation of Jews in Kabul, what if I told you we celebrated the first day of Hanukkah at a Bar Mitzvah here?  Check out these pictures of probably the first Bar Mitzvah held in Kabul since who knows when.  Army Second Lieutenant Kazar was Bar Mitzvahed by Rabbi Bazar at Camp Phoenix, Kabul on 21 December, the first day of Hanukkah.  I guess he was a bit of a troublemaker growing up, so his parents sent him to military school when he was 12.  Needless to say, he wasn’t able to be Bar Mitzvahed at the traditional ago of 13.  He met Rabbi Bazar on his way here for his deployment that eventually led to this day…pretty cool!  And yes that is my blurry face up at the Bima to help with the Torah reading. 

Oh, the Rabbi had some guys build and erect a giant menorah in front of the chapel at Camp Phoenix so I had to take a picture with my friend Risa.  By the way, I should have told you, Camp Phoenix is another camp here in Kabul that we frequently drive to.  It’s about a 30-minute drive in traffic...which there always is!

In case the Bar Mitzvah on the first day of Hanukkah wasn’t enough, Rabbi Bazer came out to Camp Eggers on Friday night to hold special Hanukkah/Shabbat service followed by a feast prepared by the local Afghans that work in the dining facility.  They made us homemade latkas and jelly doughnuts, both traditional Hanukkah treats.

Of course, Hanukkah wouldn't be complete without me lighting the Hanukkah candles in the office.  Amazingly, I had three different menorahs in the office to light.  I had the traditional menorah that came in a package from "Kosher Troops."  I had one that my friend Cathy made for me that consisted of light-candles and a homemade mat.  Lastly I had one that Layla's daughter Kylee made that required tearing off a sticker each night to reveal a lit candle.

Thanks to all my friends and family that sent Hanukkah packages with cards, presents, and goodies I had one of the most festive Hanukkahs in a long time...even though it was on the other side of the world from all of you.  So thank you all so much!

I must leave you with a picture of this Rice Krispy Menorah sent to me by my friend Susan. How cool its that!?!

You know how I say that every day is Tuesday?  Well, Fridays are actually more like Wednesday, in that they are not as bad as Tuesday.  The contractors and the local nationals that work with me are off, so the office is fairly quiet.  We use the day to catch up on things in the office and take it a bit easier.  Another thing we do on Fridays is attend the weekly Afghan Bazaar.

Every Friday from 10 – 4, local Afghan venders are permitted to set up shop in one of our parking lots to sell their wares.  Afghanistan is most famous for their rugs, scarfs, gems, and lapis, a blue stone that is carved into just about anything.  

However, the busiest vendors are the ones selling DVDs and software.  You can pick up any movie (even the ones still in the theaters) for 100 Afghanis a piece (about $2.00).  Box sets of TV shows sell for 50 Afghanis ($1) a disc.  I picked up NCIS seasons 1 – 7, a 41-disc set, for $40.  Amazon is currently selling it for $160.  Yeah, they are bootlegs, but so far the only issue I’ve found is that disc 4 of season one is really disc 5 and disc 5 is really disc 4…not too bad for 75% off the retail price.

The hardest part of the bazaar is the haggling.  The price that they tell you isn’t the lowest price you can pay, so you haggle.  It is known that the vendors are actually knowledgeable about the military rank structure, so the final price depends on what rank they see you are wearing.  Being a Major they don’t give me the best deals, however I know that I am always paying too much anyway since I’m not good at this bargaining game. I could really use my sister Jodie here for her expert shopping skills!

The bottom line is the bazaar allows me time away from my desk and makes Fridays a bit more bearable.  This alone is worth paying 250 Afghanis instead of 150 Afghanis for a bracelet due to my awful negotiation skills.