Chabad House in Kathmandu Forced to Vacate After 20 Years

After nearly two decades of continuous activity, the Chabad House in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, was forced to vacate its longtime home this week following an abrupt eviction order from the property owner. The center, run by Chabad emissaries Rabbi Chezki and Chani Lifshitz, has served tens of thousands of Israeli backpackers and Jewish travelers over the years and is considered one of the most prominent Chabads worldwide.

The Lifshitzes said the move came after months of escalating pressure from the landlord, culminating in an instruction to leave immediately. Last Friday, the regular Shabbat meal was held at a hotel after the Chabad House was cleared out.

“I don’t know if it’s because of antisemitism or if he simply lost his head,” Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz said. “A few months ago he demanded that all Hebrew signs be removed so it would not be visible that there is a Jewish presence, so the Iranians would not suspect him of being a spy.”

According to the couple, the initial requests soon expanded beyond signs. Chani Lifshitz described a steady tightening of restrictions that made it increasingly difficult to operate. “In recent months we really felt how the noose was tightening around us. Another request from the landlord, another demand, another restriction and another decree,” she wrote. At the same time, she said, the landlord repeatedly raised the rent until it reached a level that was “impossible to meet.”

“Slowly it became clear to us that they do not want this place to be a home for Jews,” Chani Lifshitz wrote. “That our presence here is unnecessary and disruptive. And that hurt. Because behind all of it stood a clear feeling of antisemitism, the kind that could no longer be ignored.”

The crisis came to a head when the landlord issued what the couple described as a blunt order. “Then came the moment when we were told explicitly: leave. Now,” Chani Lifshitz wrote. With little time to prepare, they packed the contents of the Chabad House including furniture, kitchen equipment and supplies used to host travelers, and moved everything into a large storage space in the Balaju neighborhood of Kathmandu.

For the Lifshitzes, the eviction meant dismantling not just a community center but a home that had defined their lives. “After many years in which this specific house was our life’s work, a place of Shabbats, holidays, tears, hugs and conversations that lasted until the night was already gone, we find ourselves packing everything into boxes and looking for a new place,” she wrote. Standing before the emptied building, she added, “How do you leave a home that is entirely soul?”

Despite the upheaval, the couple say they are determined to continue their work. “Yes, we are in a crisis, but we are not abandoning the mission,” Chani Lifshitz wrote on her Instagram. “We are here. And we are staying here in Kathmandu.” Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz echoed that, saying, “Everything will turn out for the good. We will expand and grow.”

In the interim, Chabad activities have continued on a temporary basis, with Shabbat meals and assistance for Israeli travelers provided from a hotel while the search for a new permanent location continues.

Since opening Chabad of Nepal roughly 25 years ago under the umbrella of Chabad-Lubavitch, the Lifshitzes and their six children have run two kosher restaurants, hosted countless Jewish visitors, including more than 2,000 participants at what has been described as the world’s largest Passover Seder. Their story also inspired the Israeli television series Kathmandu. The couple say they remain committed to rebuilding a home for Jewish life in Kathmandu and to continuing their mission despite the setback.