Antisemitic landlord in Nepal forces out synagogue (Update: it appears the landlord isn't antisemitic)

A sad case involving an antisemitic landlord in Nepal who evicted a missionary couple and their synagogue:

For over two decades, the Chabad House in Kathmandu has served as a legendary “home away from home” for tens of thousands of Israeli backpackers, Jewish travelers, and local residents. However, this week, that era came to an abrupt and painful end. Shluchim Rabbi Chezki and Chani Lifshitz were forced to pack up the iconic center’s contents following a series of demands from their landlord that many believe were fueled by systemic antisemitism.

The trouble began several months ago when the landlord’s attitude toward the Jewish center took a sharp, restrictive turn. According to Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz, the first sign of trouble was a demand to strip the building of its identity.

“A few months ago, he demanded that all the signs in Hebrew be removed from the building,” Chezki shared. This was followed by a sharp and sudden increase in rent, aimed at making the center’s presence unsustainable. This week, the situation culminated in an order for immediate evacuation, forcing the Lifshitz family to mobilize quickly to move decades of communal history.

The couple wisely aren't going to let this get them down. Even so, it's sad that in a country like Nepal, there too the problem also haunts. The landlord now appears to have hopefully resolved the issue with the couple. But, if it turns out things are still in the zone of badness, then this is an extremely reprehensible, if not too surprising, incident.

Update: here's some clarification on the topic, indicating the landlord's not an antisemite:

“People didn’t understand the post,” Lifshitz says. “The owner had asked us to take down signs written in Hebrew because he was worried that the building would be targeted by antisemites. The landlord himself is not anti-Israeli.”

Sources note that the landlord is very supportive of Jews and Israel, and actually has a Jewish brother-in-law. The building, which is famous for hosting more than 2,000 people at what has been called the largest Passover Seder in the world, is located in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Nepal, and the owners missed out on significant income by allowing Chabad to remain there, one source notes.

“Blaming this on antisemitism in Nepal is shameful,” says Rina Lamsal, a former Israeli who has run a travel agency in Nepal for 13 years. “This is the most accepting place in the world.”

Lifshitz says the institution’s extensive belongings have been put in storage, and that he is working hard to find a new hub by the end of February. “That’s when the next tourist season for Israelis starts,” he says.

While it's relieving to know the landlord's not a bad person, defeatism is still very appalling, and he shouldn't cancel the arrangements out of such cowardice. It's a shame that's apparently the case.