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Anti-Semitic graffiti spray-painted on project depicting Jewish life in Lithuania

The Lithuanian Jewish Community said on its website that the graffiti “is the latest in a series of acts of anti-Semitic vandalism of Jewish sites and statues in Vilnius and Lithuania.”

Antisemitic graffiti found on a wall mural commemorating Jewish life in Vilnius, Lithuania. Source: Facebook.
Antisemitic graffiti found on a wall mural commemorating Jewish life in Vilnius, Lithuania. Source: Facebook.

Anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered in Vilnius, Lithuania, last week on a project depicting Jewish life before World War II.

The project “Walls That Remember” is a series of murals on the walls of the former Jewish quarter in Vilnius, based on photographs of ordinary people who lived in the Jewish community prior to World War II.

The project posted on its Facebook page a photo of the graffiti—a Jewish Star of David crossed out, along with the message: “The people who did this must be found and held accountable for this hate crime. We believe Lithuania is a country that does not tolerate hatred. We will seek this case to be investigated by the Lithuanian police.”

The Lithuanian Jewish Community said on its website that the graffiti “is the latest in a series of acts of anti-Semitic vandalism of Jewish sites and statues in Vilnius and Lithuania.”

The watchdog group StopAntisemitism.org tweeted in response to the graffiti, “Before the #Holocaust even started, the Lithuanian killing machine took preemptive steps to eliminate nearly 95% of Vilnius’ #Jewish population. This week we see the hatred towards Jews still is alive and well in #Vilnius!”

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“Your ability to find the strength to rise above the pain, to combat the immediate threat to your life, and to operate sound judgment demonstrates the strength of your character,” Israel’s president wrote.
“We tried to make it clear to them that this is a memorial that was built for those who died in a horrible terrorist attack,” Lawrence Puccini told JNS.
Israel assailed the decision as a “grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.”