Swastikas and other extremist graffiti were found Tuesday morning outside the national headquarters of the Bnei Akiva youth movement in Jerusalem, prompting condemnation from the group’s leaders and calls for police to find those responsible.
One swastika was spray-painted beside a sign bearing the movement’s emblem and the inscription “Bnei Akiva Movement in Israel.” Another piece of graffiti depicted the Hebrew letters Tav and Ayin — which stand for Torah and Avodah (Torah and labor), the central values of the movement — arranged in the shape of a swastika.
Bnei Akiva said it was “shocked and appalled” by the vandalism, which came a week after the killing of Sarah "Sarita" Mendelson, a decades-long employee known as “the mother of Bnei Akiva,” who was among six people killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood.
“This is the fourth time in recent years that swastikas have been painted outside our headquarters,” the movement said in a statement, noting that previous police complaints have not led to any suspects being identified. It urged police to act “tirelessly” to bring those responsible to justice and called on the Jerusalem Municipality to install security cameras and secure the site.
Bnei Akiva Secretary General Yigal Klein said the timing of the incident was especially painful. “Just yesterday, we concluded the shiva (mourning period) for Sarita Mendelson, who was murdered on her way to the same building where these swastikas were painted,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that more than 80 years after the Holocaust, we are witnessing antisemitism in Israel in 2025.”
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Hebrew letters which stand for Torah and Avodah (Torah and labor), the central values of the movement, arranged in the shape of a swastika
(Photo: David Kornbluth)
Klein added that the latest graffiti was more explicit than previous incidents. “The swastikas and messages are large, clear and directly targeting Bnei Akiva, not just implied but intentional,” he said.
He said the vandalism would not deter the movement from its mission. “Those who seek to harm Bnei Akiva wish to attack our spirit and the deep bonds we strive to create. We will continue to spread light throughout the country,” he said.