Sri Lankan police talk to protestors outside the Chabad House in Hiriketiya. .
Buddhist monks protest ‘Israeli’ presence in Sri Lanka resort town
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Villagers and Buddhist monks in the southern coastal resort town of Hiriketiya in Sri Lanka staged a protest on Friday, August 14, calling for the removal of a recently established Chabad House.
The facility, which opened roughly two to four weeks earlier to provide kosher food, Shabbat meals, and community services primarily for ‘Israeli’ and Jewish travelers, has drawn objections from some locals who say it was set up without the necessary approvals and is affecting community harmony.
Hiriketiya, a fishing village turned popular surfing destination near Dikwella in Matara District, is a predominantly Buddhist area known for temples including the nearby Wewurukannala Viharaya with Sri Lanka’s tallest seated Buddha statue.
Buddhist monks lead protest against Chabad House in southern Sri Lanka resort town
— Ynet Global (@ynetnews) August 16, 2026
Chabad house that opened about a month ago in Hiriketiya, southern Sri Lanka, has become a center of conflict: Locals are demonstrating against it, while the Chabad house is reporting threats,… pic.twitter.com/UmMKayufbC
Protesters, numbering around 200 to 300 according to various accounts and joined by monks from local temples, alleged that the center operates without proper permits or community consent.
They urged authorities to investigate its legality and remove it if violations are confirmed.
Nuwan Wijetunge, a local hotelier and one of the protest organizers, said the demonstration was arranged by residents with support from the clergy of two local temples.
“The Israeli influence is becoming intolerable. Even for petty matters, they pick up fights with the local people and disturb this peaceful area,” he told Arab News.
Residents have also complained that some ‘Israeli’ visitors run businesses without licenses, employ fellow Israelis without valid work visas, and discriminate against locals and other tourists.
Rev. Liyanwela Sumanasiri Himi, chief of the Dikwella Deegawalukarama Rajamaha Viharaya, whose monks joined the protest, stated that allowing the Chabad House would “worsen” the situation.
“We do not want Israeli tourists in our areas since their presence here disturbs other tourists who want to come to our land,” he said.
“The number of other foreign tourists has gone drastically down because of the Israeli tourists who pollute the place.”
Similar tensions earlier arose in Arugam Bay after another Chabad House opened there.
Local officials have indicated they are examining the matter.
Ruwan Paranagam, spokesman for the Dikwella Provincial Secretariat, said that the Chabad House “has been functioning illegally” and that authorities “will not allow anything illegal to happen within the council’s jurisdiction.”
