A number of swastikas sprayed on walls and prominent landmarks in popular locations and recreation centers throughout Tel Aviv and Jaffa have left residents and tourists in shock over the past week.
and Twitter
Police say they do not yet have a lead into the identity of the mysterious anti-Semitic vandal or vandals, whose swastikas are all sprayed in black graffiti.
Swastikas found on doors in Tel Aviv and Jaffa
(צילום: עמית הובר)
Last week, a large black swastika was found scrawled on a pillar outside the popular Dizengoff Center which is passed by thousands of people each day, while another one was found on the wall of a building on the trendy bar- and restaurant-filled Rothschild Boulevard.
Tourists visiting the alleys of Old Jaffa on Saturday were shocked to find that a number of doors, sculptures and homes had been defaced with the Nazi insignia.
“It was heart-wrenching. To see that symbol takes you back and causes a lot of pain,” said 74-year-old Moshe Schwartzman, who discovered the swastikas while visiting the Jaffa port with his wife.
“I don’t know what the goal of this is, but even if it is by someone who wants attention, this is not the way,” he added.
Alona, 24, who was walking with friends on the boardwalk, said that crowds of people gathered around the graffiti.
“I am all for graffiti and civil protest through art, but a swastika is an offensive symbol. These scrawlings were amateurish and I think it's just a prank or to cause provocation,” Alona said.
Most of the swastikas were immediately removed by Tel Aviv’s municipal workers following reports from civilians to the Municipality’s call center while some were erased by business owners.