The owners of the Pischa restaurant at the ski resort in Davos, Switzerland, caused an uproar after placing a sign in Hebrew at the entrance to the restaurant, which also sells ski equipment. The sign read "After a series of annoying incidents, including the theft of a sled, we are no longer renting out sporting equipment to our Jewish brothers. This concerns all sports equipment such as sleds, skis, and snowshoes. Thank you for understanding."
Jehuda Spielman, Zurich city councilor, took a picture of the offending sign and posted a picture of it on the X social network.
The Davos police announced that they have opened an investigation into suspected racial discrimination and incitement. According to the police statement, "there is no need for an official complaint in order to open an investigation, as suspicion of discrimination and incitement to hatred is sufficient enough to open an investigation." The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities condemned the offensive sign.
Jonathan Kreutner, Secretary General of the Swiss-Israel Association, told the Tages AnZeiger website that "the sign is shocking and clearly discriminatory. I understand why some people don’t feel welcome in Davos anymore."
In response to the uproar, owners of the Pischa restaurant announced that the decision not to sell equipment to Jews did not stem from antisemitism, but because Jewish guests did not respect the local procedures. "Some Jewish guests wanted to rent sleds in street shoes, but then they would leave them on the slopes, and alert the emergency services even though they were not hurt. Jewish guests would bring their own food to the restaurant grounds and occupy the best seats on the balcony, or in the restaurant, with their own picnics."