Hitler graffiti found on wall near Jewish pilgrimage site in Ukraine

Graffiti depicting Adolf Hitler was found on a wall near the grave of Rabbi Nachman, an 18th-century Hasidic leader, in the Ukrainian city of Uman, Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine said on Friday.

Ambassador Joel Lion on his Twitter account posted an image of the anti-Semitic graffiti and wrote: “In #Uman, not far away from Rabbi Nachman’s grave. #Antisemites painted a graffiti of the biggest murderer of Jews in History.”

Later on Friday, Lion posted a photo showing that the graffiti had been covered.

“We welcome the prompt reaction of the #Ukrainian Authorities,” he wrote.

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

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— Joel Lion (@ambassadorlion) October 11, 2019

Local police had arrested a suspect for the crime, which could carry up to five years in prison, the Maariv news site reported.

Tens of thousands of Israelis make an annual pilgrimage on Rosh Hashanah to the city, with the burial site serving as the focal point of the celebration of the Jewish new year.

Uman, a city of 70,000 residents, is located in central Ukraine, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Kiev and 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of Odessa.

The pilgrimage has created frequent friction between the predominantly Israeli pilgrims and locals, many of whom resent the cordoning off of neighborhoods by police. Street brawls are not uncommon.

Another issue is the internal trade that has developed among the pilgrims, which some locals say eliminates the benefits that come with conventional tourism.