Bnei Akiva Jerusalem headquarters defaced with swastikas

The Jerusalem headquarters of the Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth movement were defaced with hateful graffiti, including swastikas, overnight Monday, the movement told the Ynet news outlet.

“It is hard to believe that more than 80 years after the Holocaust, we are seeing antisemitism in Israel in 2025,” said the group’s secretary-general, Yigal Klein, noting that this marked the fourth antisemitic incident targeting the facility.

“Unlike previous times, this time the swastikas and messages are clear, large, and attack Bnei Akiva explicitly, not just implicitly,” he said.

The latest act of vandalism included swastikas spray-painted next to the movement’s logo, as well as graffiti that included the Hebrew initials for the group’s slogan—"Torah and Work” (Tav and Ayin)—and a swastika.

Klein noted that the incident came only a day after the end of the mourning period for Sarah Mendelson, 60, a Bnei Akiva employee who was murdered in the Sept. 8 Palestinian terrorist shooting attack in northern Jerusalem.

Bnei Akiva in a statement urged law enforcement officials to “find those responsible and bring them to justice as soon as possible,” calling it “inconceivable” that the antisemitic vandals have not been caught.

The group also called on the Jerusalem Municipality to install cameras.

“Anyone who tries to harm Bnei Akiva wants to harm our deep spirit and the delicate connections we are creating within the people,” said Klein. “We, in contrast to this evil, will continue in our movement’s path to spread the great light throughout the land and everywhere,” he added.

Founded in 1929 in British Palestine, Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement. It promotes the values of Torah and Avodah: commitment to Jewish religious observance and building the State of Israel through education, community service and military service.

With branches in dozens of countries, the group runs youth activities, summer camps, leadership courses and gap-year programs in Israel, with the goal of strengthening members’ Jewish and Zionist identity.