Benny Wexler, a young ultra-Orthodox man, recently managed to reach Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul — a country controlled by the Taliban that has no diplomatic ties to Israel. “It was the scariest and most challenging trip I’ve ever taken,” he recounted. “To be at the mercy of the Taliban without minimal protection, I couldn’t sleep for weeks leading up to the trip.”
Wexler, who owns a travel company, has already visited approximately 100 countries around the world, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and others. He faced significant challenges obtaining a visa for Afghanistan, saying, “It took us a very long time, with a lot of connections and favors.”
“My biggest fear,” he said, “was entering the country with their strict inspections, passing dozens of Taliban checkpoints where we were repeatedly checked. The big concern was that they would discover we were Jewish, carrying tefillin and other items in Hebrew. We were advised to dress like locals to blend in.”
To avoid having his tefillin discovered, Wexler packed them in a nondescript bag with Arabic writing from Dubai, planning to claim he bought them as souvenirs in a shop in Dubai selling antiques from around the world if questioned about them. He was also concerned about his phone, which contained Hebrew text.
In Afghanistan, photographing passersby, especially Taliban members, is prohibited, with severe punishments for violations. Wexler also needed Taliban permission to tour Kabul. “It was a complex process, involving meetings with various Taliban officials before finally obtaining clearance from the Taliban leadership, who showed us respect and even offered us tea and cookies.”
His hotel was located directly across from the Iranian embassy. He described the rooms as very basic, had no air conditioning, malfunctioning showers and insects everywhere.
One of the scariest moments of his trip took place at the hotel. “While in the room, we thought no one could hear us and spoke in Hebrew,” he shared. “The hotel owner overheard us, grew suspicious and started questioning us. We thankfully managed to get him to drop it after some effort.”
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