US Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, has urged Sri Lankan authorities to ensure the safety of the country’s Jewish community following reports of demonstrations targeting a newly established Jewish centre in the coastal resort town of Hiriketiya.
“Concerned by reports of a demonstration targeting a Jewish site in Sri Lanka. I urge local authorities to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community in Sri Lanka,” Kaploun said.
Kaploun was confirmed by the US Senate on December 18, 2025, as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. He serves as the primary US adviser on global antisemitism issues. He previously met and assisted numerous hostage families after October 7, 2023, and hosted the first memorial for the attack in Doral, Florida, which was attended by President Trump.
The intervention follows reports of violent protests outside a Chabad House in Hiriketiya, which had opened only two weeks earlier to serve Israeli and Jewish travellers visiting the region. The centre provides kosher food, Shabbat meals and community services.
Rabbi Yossi Gabai, who is associated with the centre, said the facility had faced opposition from a small number of local residents and Buddhist monks. He nevertheless stressed that most residents had welcomed the centre and rejected claims by protesters that Jewish visitors were “destroying the tourism”.
The reported disturbances escalated during Friday evening services. According to Gabai, protesters gathered outside the centre, blocked people and workers from approaching the building, issued threats and used drones and firecrackers to disrupt the Friday dinner.
David Sarosi, an Israeli traveller staying near the centre, said he witnessed a demonstration involving about 100 people. He said several men approached him and warned him not to take photographs, claiming they had arrived with the intention of beating him. Police intervened and brought him inside the Chabad House before the gates were closed.
Sarosi said the confrontation became more aggressive during the Friday night meal. Protesters allegedly used sound systems to play music and Arabic songs, launched fireworks and threw a large rock that shattered a window. He said many people inside the centre were military reservists who had recently served in the army and war.
The unrest reportedly continued the following night, when stones and fireworks were allegedly thrown at the building. Sarosi said he was attacked while attempting to leave with his wife and subsequently returned to the Chabad House. According to his account, police took approximately ten minutes to arrive and secure the area.
Sarosi also alleged that false accusations were later circulated on local social media, including a claim that he had threatened women with a stick. He denied the allegation and said a police complaint had subsequently been filed against him.
The incidents have led to heightened security measures around the centre. Gabai said the Chabad House was in contact with the Foreign Ministry and had met the consul, while further coordination with local authorities was under way.
The controversy has brought international attention to the security of Jewish visitors and facilities in Sri Lanka, particularly as the Hiriketiya centre was established only recently to provide religious and community services to Jewish and Israeli travellers. Kaploun’s intervention places the reported incidents within the broader US concern over antisemitism and the protection of Jewish communities worldwide.
