Washington, DC—Georgetown University (my alma mater) hosted a historic international conference this Monday exploring the deep and enduring ties between Jews and the Persianate world. Co-organized by the Center for Jewish Civilization and the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS), the gathering — “Jews and the Persianate World: Politics, Culture, and Historical Ties” — brought together diplomats, scholars, and community leaders for a day of reflection, discovery, and dialogue.
For Bukharian and Afghan Jews, whose histories have long intertwined along the Silk Road, the event represented both a scholarly milestone and a cultural homecoming.
Opening Remarks
Delivering the special opening remarks, Jack Abraham — Past President of Congregation Anshei Shalom in Queens, Chairman of the Afghan Heritage Committee, and a member of the Bukharian Congress and Mashhadi Committee— set the tone for the day by invoking one of the world’s most important Jewish artifacts: the Afghan Liturgical Quire (ALQ).
“The second-most important Genizah ever discovered — after the Cairo Genizah — was found in Afghanistan,” said Abraham. “Among its treasures is the Afghan Liturgical Quire, one of the oldest known Jewish prayer books. It proves that our Mizrahi heritage — our synagogue customs, our liturgy, our melodies — all trace back to Afghanistan and beyond.”
In fact, “All of our [Jewish] prayer traditions started in the East,” Abraham told The Bukharian Times.
Abraham noted that the ALQ was recently on display at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York as part of the acclaimed exhibit “Sacred Words: Revealing the Earliest Hebrew Book,” which closed on July 17, 2025. The manuscript has since returned to its permanent home at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D. C. — the very city where the Georgetown conference took place, offering a poignant convergence of past and present.
With grandparents from Marv (Turkmenistan), Bukhara (Uzbekistan), Afghanistan, and Persia, Abraham embodies a lineage that reflects the transregional story of Jews across the Persianate world. “I am Afghan, Bukharian, and Persian,” he said, “and this gathering brings our intertwined heritage full circle.”
Bukharian Presence
The conference featured notable representation from the Bukharian Jewish community:
Prof. Imanuel Rybakov of Queens College, a historian of Jewish life in Central Asia, joined the panel “The Triangle — Islam, Judaism & the Persianate World,” emphasizing centuries of coexistence and philosophical exchange across the Islamic East.
Rafael Nektalov, editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times, attended to strengthen institutional ties and highlight the growing recognition of Bukharian history within global Jewish studies.
During the evening program, Ruben Shimonov — artist, educator, and American Sephardi Federation’s National Director of Sephardi House & Young Leadership — presented “Convergence: At the Intersection of Hebrew and Persian Calligraphy.” His work illustrates the aesthetic harmony that has long united Jewish and Persian visual traditions.
Abraham praised the strong turnout from the Bukharian community: “The vibration of this meeting was very high — so many young Bukharians came. And Ruben Shimonov — What. A. Talent.”
Stories of Exile and Renewal
Abraham also shared a deeply personal story about his family’s journey from Marv (present-day Turkmenistan) to Afghanistan.
“They fled with whatever they had — just two deeds for their homes — and began a new life in Afghanistan,” he recounted. “We are resilient people. We rebuild. We rejuvenate. We move forward. We don’t look back.”
Except at conferences like this one—where the aim is to remember, honor, and carry the story forward.
Abraham described the gathering as a “tremendous bridge between the Mizrahi and Afghan diasporas,” noting that many Jewish communities east of Iraq — even as far as Kaifeng, China — trace parts of their history through Afghanistan.
Panels: From Ancient Empires to Modern Diplomacy
Throughout the day, four panels explored the spiritual, political, and cultural dimensions of Jewish-Persian interaction: “Ancient Wisdom & Mutuality” — on Jewish life under the Achaemenids and Sasanians; “The Triangle: Islam, Judaism & the Persianate World” — on shared theology and coexistence; “Israel & the I. R. Iran” — unpacking the implications of the recent “12 Day War”; and “Dawn of Khorassan” — envisioning pluralism and renewal in the modern Persianate sphere.
Speakers included Ambassador Dennis Ross, Dr. Parvaneh Pourshariati of NYC College of Technology Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute, Dr. Arash Azizi of Yale, and journalist-author Roya Hakakian, alongside moderators from leading universities and policy institutes.
Rumi Night
The evening’s Rumi Night blended scholarship and art, celebrating Persianate and Jewish creativity.
Highlights included the Persian translation launch of “From Kabul to Queens: The Jews of Afghanistan and Their Move to the United States” by Sara Y. Aharon, moderated by Dr. Sahraa Karimi; a special lecture by Herschel Hepler of the Museum of the Bible on the Afghan Liturgical Quire; a dialogue with Pastor Dr. Mark Burns, moderated by Nazila Jamshidi; and a musical finale by the Yuval Ensemble, whose blend of Hebrew, Persian, and Central Asian melodies offered a resonant closing note.
Legacy and Renewal
For the Bukharian community, whose ancestral cities — Bukhara, Samarkand, Dushanbe — once stood at the crossroads of Jewish and Persian civilization, the Georgetown conference reaffirmed a proud legacy.
To study the Persianate past is to rediscover ourselves today.
Erin Levi