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Nepal Chabad emissary jailed

Clerical error in Rabbi Hezki Lipschitz's visa leads to lockup during Rosh Hashanah

By Amanda Borschel-Dan
  • Deputy Editor Amanda Borschel-Dan is the host of The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, What Matters Now and The Reel Schmooze podcasts, and heads up The Times of Israel's features.
 28 September 2014, 3:55 pm
Kathmandu Chabad House. (courtesy Chabad)

Due to a clerical error on his visa, Chabad emissary to Nepal Rabbi Hezki Lipschitz was mistakenly jailed in Kathmandu just prior to Rosh Hashanah.

According to an NRG correspondent in Kathmandu, Lipschitz spent the first day and a half of the Jewish New Year behind bars due to fears he was illegally in the country.

Lipschitz’s wife Chani, with the help of Chabad International, got the Israeli and United States Foreign ministries to intervene with the Nepalese government, leading to the rabbi’s release on Friday afternoon, according to Israeli Hebrew-language reports.

The Kathmandu Chabad House, famous for holding the world’s largest Passover seder, was able to organize Rosh Hashanah meals and services for the hundreds of Israelis and Jews currently in the country.

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