“Does Yvon Jaspers have a big ass?” Just a question that was asked in the quiz_The TV viewer of the year_. For those who actually want to know the answer tothis question: according to 23 percent of the respondents, the answer is no.The relationship between ‘yes’ and ‘no opinion/don’t know’ was not specified.In addition to Yvon Jaspers, this quiz was mainly about who had watched themost TV this year and who had remembered the most. When asked, some quizparticipants said they watch TV for about six hours a day. And so locations ofTV programs were guessed, program logos named, everyone knew the name of thewoman for whom farmer Evert had chosen (Maud in Farmer seeks wife ), as isthe answer to the question, “Who was in the horse suit?” (Bridget Maasland in_The Masked Singer_ ). A possible question for next year: which quiz is megadrowsy?
Marginally less drowsy The quiz of the year from SBS6. Led by Harm Edens,Dutch celebrities Soy Kroon, Jaap Reesema, Lisa Loeb and Stefano Keizers hadto answer sixty questions about this year. Fortunately, most of the questionswere fun. About Ukraine, Edens only wanted to know what the first letter ofZelensky’s first name was. “Anything about Voldemort?” asked Kroon. He got thefirst letter right.
Here too it was often about TV programs, and sure enough, farmer Evert came byagain with his Maud (including the same fragment). And here too, famous peoplewere measured against a beauty ideal: not Yvon Jaspers’ ass, but GeorgeClooney’s head was now the subject of conversation. It was far from sexy,Edens said in response to the question: “Who is through the magazine _People_named sexiest man in the world? Clooney gradually took on the appearance of a”flaring dumpster,” Edens said. It was not clear what exactly the viewershould imagine with this, nor what percentage agreed with it.
The last Jew in Afghanistan
Afghanistan was not featured in either quiz. News enough, but those whoconsider these quizzes as a kind of cheerful annual overview, can do littlewith the country. Who could do that is the empathetic Sinan Can, the one forthe documentary The last son had gone to Kabul to speak with ZabulonSimintov, who claimed to be the last Jew in Afghanistan. Can was in Kabul inthe spring of 2021 when he spoke with Simintov. It was days after Bidenannounced that the US military was withdrawing from Afghanistan.
“All Muslims are like brothers to me,” says 70-year-old Simintov, “but oh woeif the Taliban come again.” During the previous Taliban regime he had beenarrested four times, his Torah had been torn up and he was no longer allowedto pray. He feared this would happen again. “God let America burn,” he cursedBiden’s decision. Should the Taliban seize power, he would stay again and prayto death. Ancient Jewish history could not simply be undone, not even inAfghanistan. “I will always stay here. This is my homeland.”
What happened in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 is also known to people whodo not participate in annual quizzes. Can keeps in touch as long as possible,until he hears nothing more. After months it turns out that Simintov has leftKabul and now lives in Istanbul. It had become impossible to stay. “They evenkill their own brothers,” says Simintov. But he held out hope for Jewishhistory in Afghanistan: as long as he lived, Jewish history in Afghanistan wasnot over.
Do we immediately have a quiz question for next year: how many Jews live inAfghanistan now?