A Spanish-language segment aired by the network Al Jazeera has sparked attention after it focused on a Chabad house in Cozumel, Mexico, portraying programs that host Israeli soldiers recovering from combat trauma in a critical light.

The broadcast centered on a healing retreat organized in conjunction with the local Chabad house. The program, located in Cozumel, brings in Israeli veterans and active-duty soldiers for rest, therapy, and structured recovery in a supportive environment.

According to the segment, the center “welcomes thousands of visitors every year, and historically has hosted members of the Israeli army.” At one point, the segment focused on a young Israeli survivor of the October 7, 2023 Nova music festival attack.

The Qatari-funded network went further, framing the presence of Israeli soldiers in such programs in highly charged terms, including claims that they are viewed as fugitives or individuals “prosecuted for war crimes elsewhere,” and suggesting that their participation in leisure and therapy activities in Mexico contrasts with how they are portrayed in other international contexts.

Rabbi Dudi Caplin, the shliach in Cozumel, says the framing is a deliberate distortion of what’s going on. “Al Jazeera found out and wrote an attack against us,” he said. “It’s a big, big issue – but we continue with our project for those soldiers who need our help.”

Since the outbreak of the war, the Chabad house in Cozumel has become an unexpected refuge for Israeli soldiers struggling to adjust back to civilian life. Rabbi Caplin says he has personally supported more than 50 soldiers dealing with PTSD, and that since October 7, several thousand Israelis have come through its doors.

“We have plenty, plenty of stories – people who got back to themselves, who could breathe again, who had really lost it and couldn’t sleep at night.”

Beyond the Cozumel program itself, the segment also attempted to draw wider attention to what it described as the global reach of Chabad-Lubavitch infrastructure around the world, operating in tourist destinations across Mexico, including centers in Cancún, La Paz, and other locations.

It also highlighted that such therapeutic and outreach trips for soldiers are made possible through donor funding, a framing that it used to prompt its Spanish-speaking audience toward outrage.

“Did you know this was happening in Mexico? Leave your opinion in the comments”, the video concluded.

“They attacked Chabad Cozumel,” he said. “But the diversity in Cozumel is beautiful — the people here are very nice and accepting of tourists, accepting of everyone. And we continue, even with the lies and the attack from Al Jazeera.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the broadcast, the Shluchim in Cozumel continue their daily work on site – running minyanim, providing kosher meals for Jewish travelers, and maintaining the retreat and support programs for visiting soldiers, with dedicated care for every Yid who comes through their doors.

“We continue with our project,” he said. “Those soldiers need this help.”