Populating the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, many Pashtun tribes, such as the Lewani, Benyamin, Afridi, and Shinwari, maintain a centuries-old oral tradition linking them directly to the Children of Israel (Bani Israel) and our father Yaaqov.

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This heritage was even recognized at the highest levels of Afghan royalty. Historically, a former Afghan king asked the local Jewish community about their tribal identity. When they admitted they had lost track over centuries of exile, the king proudly replied that the Pashtuns still remembered theirs, and shared that his own lineage traced back to King Shaul of the tribe of Benyamin.