‘Entry to Israelis strictly forbidden’: Antisemitism on the rise in parts of Russia

Mobs surrounded and searched hotels where they claimed Jews were staying.

By The Algemeiner Staff

Antisemitic demonstrations and attacks against Jewish institutions are growing across Russia’s north Caucus region, according to various local media reports and videos shared on social media.

The attacks included large crowds in the city of Hasbiurt in the Caucasian Republic of Dagestan besieging a hotel where they claimed Israelis were staying.

The mob then raided the hotel and searched for Jews, according to Yaroslav Trofimov, a reporter with The Wall Street Journal. The group dispersed when none were found.

Elsewhere, in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, a sign was posted at the entrance to a hotel stating: “Entry to citizens of Israel (Jews) strictly forbidden.”

Similar incidents were reported in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, both ethnic Russian republics, where local residents appealed to municipal authorities to find and remove any Jews living there.

Meanwhile, a Jewish cultural center was set on fire in Nalchik, the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, according to images posted on Telegram.

Jews have inhabited the North Caucuses for over two millennia. Around 3,000 Jews continue to live in the region, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.