Zebulon Simantov, the last Jew in Afghanistan
Zebulon Simantov, the last Jew in AfghanistanReuters

Zebulon Simantov, Afghanistan's last Jew who fled the country earlier this month, is headed to New York, the New York Post reported.

Though Simantov, 62, said he was not afraid of the Taliban and initially planned to stay in Afghanistan, he ended up leaving his country due to fear of ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Speaking to the Post in his first interview since leaving Afghanistan, Simantov said, "I like everything in New York. Everything is exciting. I would like to be a US citizen."

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has lobbied to secure travel documents for Simantov to come to the US, and his office told the Post that they were working on the case.

Simantov plans to stay with relatives in Queens, New York, the site added.

"I am a businessman, I'll do business there," Simantov told the Post.

Explaining his decision to leave, he added: "I sensed something terrible was going to happen to Afghanistan. The Taliban is much crueler than ever before. They kill people now like killing small animals."

Simantov also said that US President Joe Biden "left so fast and he left people behind … The terrorist groups were celebrating when the Taliban toppled the Afghan government."

He also called former US President Donald Trump a "madman" and said, "I request that American citizens not vote for either Trump or President Biden in the next election in 2024."

The New York Post also noted that last week, Simantov signed divorce papers freeing his wife, who left Afghanistan in 1995, from their marriage.

"It was impossible for me to follow her. She was ill," he told the Post, explaining that while he was in Afghanistan, it had been logistically impossible for him to grant her the divorce.

Meanwhile, rescuer Moti Kahana is becoming frustrated with the delays in getting Simantov to the US.

"I'm not a babysitter," the Post quoted him as saying about Simantov, who is staying in a hotel room. Adding that finding kosher food was nearly impossible, Kahana added, "He is losing a lot of weight eating vegetables."