“No entry for Jews and animals”: a shocking sign was hung at the entrance of the hotel

“No entry for Jews and animals”: In the last two days, a shocking document was circulated from the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, in which a sign was seen at the entrance to the “Hotel Villa” hotel, prohibiting the entry of Jews and pets. In addition to the harsh sentence, illustrations of the Star of David and Caleb were also attached to the sign with a red line on both of them symbolizing the prohibition, an image that evokes dark memories of the most difficult periods in Jewish history.

The sign provoked great anger among the Jewish community and locals, and this led to a wide wave of condemnations against the hotel’s management. Following public pressure and diplomatic intervention, the hotel management removed the sign a day later. Yoav Bistritzky, Israel’s ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, acted with the local authorities from the moment the document was published: “I welcome the swift action of the authorities in the country to remove the anti-Semitic and offensive sign, and for opening a criminal investigation against those responsible,” the ambassador said. “This kind of hatred has no place in any society. I will continue to follow developments closely.”

The outrageous combination between Jews and dogs is not accidental and takes the Jewish community back to the days of Nazi Germany. In the 1930s, Juden unerwünscht (Jews are not welcome) signs were a common sight at the entrance to hotels, parks and resorts in Europe, where Jews were often compared to animals as part of a systematic dehumanization mechanism. Placing such a sign in 2026, in the heart of Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city, is a painful reminder that these images are still used as tools of incitement.

On top of the offensive sign appeared the inscription in three languages: Kyrgyz, Russian and English. The event is considered particularly unusual in the Muslim country, which is generally known for its relative tolerance towards the Jewish community. According to the data of the World Jewish Congress, only about 400 Jews live in Kyrgyzstan today, most of them in the capital Bishkek and other small communities such as Osh. The community, which is made up of descendants of refugees who came to the region in World War II and Bukharian Jews, fears that the rising waves of anti-Semitism in the world due to the geopolitical situation are now also permeating countries that until now were considered relatively stable.

As of today, there are no direct flights from Israel to Kyrgyzstan, and the arrival to the city of Osh is usually done through a third country such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates or Azerbaijan, and then via an internal connecting flight from Bishkek. It is important to pay attention to the MLA’s travel warning: Kyrgyzstan is classified under warning level 3 (moderate threat). This means that Israelis are advised to avoid travel that is not essential to the country at this time. If you chose to travel anyway, the MLA recommends taking increased precautions, modesty of Israeli and Jewish symbols, and maintaining high vigilance in public places.