A flare-up of ethnic violence near Kyrgyzstan’s border with Uzbekistan has left the former Soviet republic’s small Jewish community apprehensive, but apparently unscathed. According to Rabbi Arye Raichman, the bulk of the 2,000-strong community monitored the situation from the relative safety of the capital of Bishkek, more than 100 miles from the fighting.

“Most of the things are happening in the south, and we are in the north,” said Raichman, a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary whose center and Jewish day school brushed with danger in April after a coup brought a change in government but widespread violence in the capital. “This time, everything here is fine. Everyone is okay, thank G‑d.”

Raichman acknowledged to The Jerusalem Post earlier in the week that tensions were high – 12 local Jews emigrated to Israel on Monday – but by Thursday, the violence had subsided.

“Usually when there is wide-scale violence or upheaval, people start talking a lot about leaving,” Raichman told the newspaper, “but once things calm back down the talk stops.”

According to The Associated Press, the United Nations suspects that the most-recent spate of rioting and violence was instigated by an outside group that coordinated five simultaneous attacks in the border area.

Back in April, unknown assailants hurled Molotov cocktails at a Bishkek synagogue, leading the Jewish community to appeal to the nation’s new leader for protection.