On our flight from New York to Baku in May 2024, Rafael, seated by the window, told me — in the aisle seat — that the empty middle seat between us would likely stay that way.
“Whenever I fly,” he said in a hushed voice, “it’s always empty next to me. Want to know why?”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because God loves me!” We both laughed.
Maybe so. But he’d forgotten who also loves him:
The community.
The one-and-only Rafael Nektalov — founder and editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times — turned 70 over the weekend.
Born in Samarkand in 1956, Rafael graduated from the Tashkent State Conservatory and began his career as a music historian and educator before immigrating to New York with his family in 1993. In the decades since, he has become a leading chronicler and champion of Bukharian Jewish culture — as a journalist, musicologist, historian, filmmaker, author and community leader, as the co-founder of the Shashmaqam Forever festival, and as founder and editor-in-chief of The Bukharian Times. His work has taken him across continents, preserving the stories, music and traditions of Bukharian Jewry while building bridges between the community’s past and future.
In honor of his jubilee year, I’d like to share blessings and stories from friends, colleagues, and politicians near and far.
“You Paved the Way”
Educator Manashe Khaimov, CEO of SAMI, was one of the first to write in: “Dear Rafael, I wish you health, health, and more health, and many long years surrounded by your family and loved ones. You have always been a great example for the younger generation — you paved the way for so many of us, dedicating years to preserving Bukharian Jewish life, culture, and traditions. Happy birthday, Rafael. Until 120!”
Seeing Samarkand “Through Rafael’s Eyes”
Travel journalist Andy Isaacson, an Ashkenazi Jew from Brooklyn, joined Rafael on a journey exploring Bukharian Jewish culture in Uzbekistan in September 2022. “I had the pleasure of seeing Samarkand’s old Jewish quarter through Rafael’s eyes as he strolled down memory lane — visiting old friends, stopping by the old banya and synagogue, and pointing out historic landmarks and familiar haunts,” shared Isaacson. “Rafael was completely lit up, excited to be back in a place so full of memories, and it was a joy to share that walk with him.”
“He’s like a godfather”
“He’s like a godfather to me in America,” said Frank Muradov, CEO of 44 Oak Capital, who has known Rafael for more than 20 years — and, incidentally, was the person who first connected me with Rafael through our work with Uzbek Initiative in 2011.
Muradov recalled one story that, to him, captures Rafael’s character. During a 2018 visit to Qarshi, Uzbekistan, Rafael met Muradov’s father, professor Shukhrat Muradov, and learned of a neglected Jewish cemetery there. Distressed by its condition, Rafael immediately wanted to help, working with the Muradovs to raise funds and engage local officials in its restoration, which was completed by 2019. “That moment showed that he has a big heart, bigger than himself,” Muradov reflected. “He cared for others… and he builds bridges between people — and he cared even for those who had passed.”
“Devoted to Preserving Our Cultural Identity”
Longtime friend and colleague Svetlana Levitin, CEO of World of Women Immigrants, Inc, wrote Rafael an official letter: “On behalf of World of Women Immigrants, Inc., we extend our warmest congratulations to Rafael Nektalov on his 70th birthday. Since moving to New York in 1993, he has devoted himself to preserving and promoting the history, heritage, and cultural identity of Bukharian Jews. As Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Bukharian Times, he has informed, connected, and given voice to our community across the United States and around the world.”
A Day of His Own
Rafael received a particularly fitting birthday gift from U.S. Representative Grace Meng: a day of his own. In an official Congressional proclamation, Meng recognized his more than four decades of work in journalism, education, cultural preservation and community leadership, as well as his “tireless efforts to preserve the history and heritage of the Bukharian Jewish people and strengthen community ties”— they “serve as an inspiration to us all.” Then she made it official, declaring August 14, 2026 — his 70th birthday — “Rafael Nektalov Day” throughout New York’s 6th Congressional District.
More Official Honors
New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov honored Rafael with an official proclamation, recognizing his decades preserving the heritage, traditions, and identity of Bukharian Jewry, and his leadership at the helm of The Bukharian Times, “one of the world’s leading publications serving the Bukharian Jewish community.” The Assembly paused its deliberations to wish him “continued good health, happiness, and success as he continues his extraordinary service to the people of New York and the Bukharian Jewish community throughout the world.”
New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine also issued a citation celebrating Rafael’s lifetime of dedication to the preservation and celebration of Bukharian Jewish culture—“his unwavering commitment to telling the stories, honoring the traditions, and celebrating the accomplishments of his people”—and his work as a journalist, author, musicologist, educator, filmmaker, festival producer, and community leader, wishing him continued health, happiness, and success as he enters this milestone.
Best seat in the house
No one ever did show up for that middle seat. Rafael was right.
But he had it backwards. The seat wasn’t empty because he flies alone — it was empty because there’s always room for one more: one more friend, one more story, one more person he’s welcomed in. For the past three and a half years, I’ve had the privilege of the seat beside him as his colleague, and — even with the occasional turbulence — I can tell you it’s the best one in the house.
Happy birthday, Rafael. Until 120!
By Erin Levi