Jacob Nasirov is a prominent Bukharian rabbi residing in

Jamaica Estates, Queens Jamaica Estates is a neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Queens. Jamaica Estates is part of Queens Community Board 8, Queens Community District 8 and located in the northern portion of Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica. ...

, New York. His family originated in

Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...

and immigrated to Afghanistan in 1932. At age 5, his family made ''

aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

'' to Israel. After serving in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

and working for a few years, in 1980 he was called to serve as the hazan and rabbi of Anshei Shalom synagogue, the only Afghan-Jewish congregation in the United States. He is currently the Rabbi of Congregation Bet-El - Sephardic Center of Jamaica Estates. Nasirov was at one time a kosher certifier of restaurants, but he is no longer involved in this.

Sources

* Lee, Felicia R. "Coping: Afghan Jews Look Back in Sorrow" New York Times Dec. 30, 2001 * Pomerance, Rachel "Because 'Jews are news,' feuding Afghans make CNN" Jewish Telegraphic Agency Dec. 14, 2001
Bio on Synagogue website
Living people Bukharan rabbis American Orthodox rabbis Religious leaders from Queens, New York Israeli emigrants to the United States Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American rabbis {{US-rabbi-stub