Israel-Hellenic Forum condemns anti-semitic acts of vandalism

The Israel-Hellenic Forum issued a statement earlier this week condemning a spate of acts of vandalism on Jewish cemeteries and memorials this month.

“The Israel-Hellenic Forum is deeply disturbed by the acts of vandalism against the Holocaust memorial in Thessaloniki and Jewish cemeteries in Athens and Rhodes – the latest in a series of similar acts in Greece over recent years. This desecration with the usage of anti-Semitic graffiti by perpetrators is a flagrant affront to the values that pervade democratic society. We commend the Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs for immediately issuing a statement condemning these deplorable acts that insult the memory of Greek citizens and of everyone else who fell victim to Nazism. We expect that the perpetrators will be brought to justice and tried for their crimes. The fight for the eradication of anti-Semitism is far from over and needs to be intensified,” said the statement, issued Wednesday.

Unknown individuals wrote, in English, “With Jews you lose” on the Thessaloniki Holocaust memorial. Earlier in the month a graffiti, in German, “Juden Raus” was found in Athens' Jewish cemetery and “Death to Israel” was scawled, in English, in the community's Thessaloniki cemetery. Also, four tombs were damaged in the Jewish cemetery on the island of Rhodes.

The Forum, established by the B’nai B’rith World Center – Jerusalem, was launched in November 2019.