One arrested over Hitler graffiti at venerated rabbi's grave in Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities swiftly removed parts of the vandalism at the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman in Uman, as local leader says there is no place for anti-Semitism in Ukraine democracy
Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday arrested a suspect behind an anti-Semitic incident in which a graffiti depicting Adolf Hitler was sprayed on a wall next to the grave of the rabbi who founded a branch of Orthodox Judaism.
The graffiti daubed near the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the town of Uman featured a portrait of a bloodied Hitler and a sentence in German reading: "Reputation is easy to lose and hard to earn".
The incident was highlighted up by Israel's Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lion, who condemned the incident on Twitter last Friday.
In #Uman, not far away from Rabbi Nachman's grave. #Antisemites painted a graffiti of the biggest murderer of Jews in History. #NeverAgain begins by fighting any kind of #Antisemitism as defined by @TheIHRA#Ukraine should strongly condemn and bring the perpetrators to justice. pic.twitter.com/6vK59IMkGp
— Joel Lion (@ambassadorlion) October 11, 2019
The local authorities quickly took action, removing parts of the offensive graffiti within an hour of the ambassador's tweet.
Lion later posted another tweet praising the local authorities' speedy response.
We welcome the prompt reaction of the #Ukrainian Authorities. @APUkraine @IuliiaMendel @TheIHRA pic.twitter.com/lNc4OB81Bd
— Joel Lion (@ambassadorlion) October 11, 2019
Igor Shevchenko, the head of the Cherkasska province in which the town of Uman is located, condemned the incident, saying that manifestations of anti-Semitism had no place in Ukrainian democracy.
The incident took place on the eve of Sukkot, which closes the Jewish high holidays, commemorates the Jews' journey through the Sinai Desert after the exodus from Egypt.
The grave of Rabbi Nachman, or Nachman of Breslov, who founded the Breslov Hasidic movement in Judaism, is a major pilgrimage site on Rosh Hashanah for thousands of his followers from across the globe.
