Evacuees from Afghanistan board a Boeing 777 bound for the United States from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy August 28, 2021. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaila V. Peters/Handout via REUTERS

The last Jew in Afghanistan, previously unknown to the public, has been evacuated from the country by an Israeli aid group.

The Associated Press reported that Tova Moradi, 83, lived in Kabul as the wife of a Muslim, but did not convert or renounce her faith, and quietly practiced some Jewish traditions. It was known among locals that she was a Jew.

Her exit from the country comes as something of a surprise, as for years the last Jew in Afghanistan was believed to be Zebulon Simentov — who received considerable media attention and finally left the country in September, following the Taliban takeover that followed the US withdrawal.

Moradi, the AP stated, along with her children and some two dozen grandchildren, were evacuated within the last month by IsraAID, which has worked to help refugees flee the country. They are currently in Albania.

Moradi’s daughter Khorshid, who lives in Canada, said a relative contacted Joseph Friedberg, a Toronto Jewish businessman, and told him Moradi was likely to be killed by the Taliban.

Friedberg contacted IsraAID, which with the help of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office, other Jewish businessmen, and Afghan diplomats reportedly managed to spirit Moradi and her family out of the country.

“We are so thankful that they are safe now,” Khorshid said. “For the last two months since the Taliban takeover, I did not sleep at night.”

IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer, however, told the outlet he believes the rescue is not yet complete, as the family hopes to go to Canada, and Moradi wants to visit Israel as well. Her parents are buried in Jerusalem.

“We still need for them to reach their final destination,” Polizer said. “We’re worried that they’ll be stuck in limbo.”

Appeals have been made to the Canadian government on the family’s behalf.

A virtual family reunion has already taken place, however. Moradi said, “Yesterday, I saw my sisters, nieces and nephews after around 60 years through a video call. We spoke for hours. I was really happy. I saw their children and they met mine.”

Khorshid said the relatives felt “it’s like she came back from the grave.”

“She never denied her Judaism,” Khorshid stated, “she just got married in order to save her life as you cannot be safe as a young girl in Afghanistan.”