The Volokh Conspiracy

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Attacks on Jews in Southern Russia (Northern Caucasus)

"For foreign citizens of Israel (Jews) entrance is strictly forbidden!"

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The sign says:

For foreign citizens
of Israel (Jews)
entrance is strictly forbidden!!!
(And they aren't staying here!!!!!)

The caption, from a Russian-language Telegram channel, says:

Khasavyurt [a city in Dagestan, north of Azerbaijan] / This sign was placed at the entrance to the hotel "Flamingo," in connection with rumors that Jews were staying there.

My source here is Meduza.io, an independent Russian-language news site headquartered in Latvia, though other English-language and Russian-language sources also report on this incident. The Meduza story reports that this sign was placed in response to a mob that had gathered outside the hotel responding to rumors that some Israelis were at the hotel; the mob started throwing stones at the hotel, and eventually left only after the authorities had let a few members into the hotel to confirm that there were no Israelis there.

The story also reports (as do some other stories) that in the nearby city of Nalchik, burning tires were thrown onto the grounds of a Jewish community center, and the words "Death to Jews" (apparently using a Russification of the Arabic word for "Jews") were written on the wall.

Meduza reports that the head of the Dagestan government condemned the actions, and blamed them on extremists controlled by Russia's enemies. Meduza also reports that the Muslim leadership of the Northern Caucus likewise condemned the actions, saying that they support Palestinians, but stress that "the Muslims of the Northern Caucasus cannot be on the side of hatred and intolerance towards other peoples and religions" and that "there is no room for anti-Semitism."

There were also other incidents, most prominently the mob that gathered at the Makhachkala airport in Dagestan, apparently seeking passengers from a flight that had just arrived from Tel Aviv.