Death to racist graffiti

For over three years Shmulik Marzel has been passing by a wall sprayed with the slogan "Death to Arabs" during the morning walk with his dog. After repeated appeals to the Petah Tikva Municipality to take care of the graffiti, Marzel decided to take initiative and do it himself.

He turned to the members of the organization he belongs to, Other Voice, and offered that they launch a project to paint over racist graffiti across the country.

The organization selected the eve of Shavuot for the operation, because the Jewish holiday focuses – among other things - on love and acceptance of the other.

Shmulik Marzel (Photo: Hagai Dekel)

And so on Thursday last week groups of social activists and youth movement members spread across cities, communities and intercity highways to paint over dozens of offensive graffiti.

"Such phenomena like racist slogans, overt hatred and violence towards people who are different than you mainly in the things they cannot change such as their ethnicity, religion or gender, have become very legitimate and do not belong in a democratic state," said Assi Gerberz, a Hashomer Hatzair youth movement activist who took part in the operation.

"I think that the fact these slogans exist and no one bothers to erase them, and people walk by them every day without caring – reflects the public consciousness," he added.

"We came here today to say 'no'," Amit Weissler, another Hashomer Hatzair member, stated. "It's violent, it's demeaning and it denies the right of another person to exist, and we are not willing to live in such a country."

"We choose to do, to act," stressed her friend, Shir Lazar. "To take steps that may be small but are meaningful." Lazar called on the general public to join in the effort. "This is something you can do at home. If you see such graffiti near your house, simply grab some paint and cover it, do something to amend the situation."