Resort operators in Switzerland and Austria are threatening to close vacation areas to Israeli Haredi tourists unless vacationers cease environmental damage and comply with local regulations, according to reporting from Kikar HaShabbat.
The warnings come after months of complaints about trash, damage to public facilities, and disregard for local ordinances at popular Alpine destinations including Saas-Grund, Kappl, Ischgl, Mayrhofen, and Gahltur. Local officials have reported plastic cups, food wrappers, and other debris scattered along hiking trails and around resort facilities, including damage to a mini-golf installation in Ischgl.
Menachem Deutsch, a local tourism organizer, released a video statement in three languages alongside a local police officer urging Haredi vacationers to exercise restraint, respect local laws, and maintain public order. Tourism advisor Dody Rubinstein warned that the behavior threatens the broader Israeli community abroad. "This isn't good what's happening at the resorts. People need to remember they're not at home—they're among non-Jews," Rubinstein told Kikar HaShabbat. "Businesses will close and won't rent to Haredim from Israel, and then people will complain about antisemitism. Please, people need to wake up. This behavior harms us in the category of chab lachrina," he added, using the Talmudic principle referring to harm to other communities.
The Ischgl city mayor explicitly warned that continued environmental violations at the local mini-golf facility would force closure. Community leaders issued a statement to vacationers stating: "This is a desecration of God's name. The mayor asked us to inform the public: if the condition doesn't improve, he will be forced to close the mini-golf facility." The statement urged visitors to dispose of trash properly and reminded them of the collective responsibility to sanctify God's name abroad.
Complaints also emerged from local hikers. One documented trash scattered along the Silbertal lake trail, including chip bags, plastic cups, and food wrappers. "Please, think about others," the hiker's account stated. "First, this is chillul Hashem --- non-Jews say, 'Look how Jews behave and don't consider others.' Second, other people lose out because of it. Today the golf course was closed and the petting zoo was closed because people complained that the place looked like a dump just this week."
