Italian Jewish groups condemn vandalism of memorial plaque for terror victim

Italian Jewish organizations issued condemnations on Tuesday after a plaque at a Rome synagogue honoring a Jewish victim of terrorism was vandalized.

The plaque dedicated to Stefano Gaj Tachè at the Beth Michael Synagogue in Rome’s Monteverde neighborhood was found defaced over the weekend with anti-Israel slogans in black paint. The vandals also sprayed “Free Palestine” and “Monteverde is anti-Zionist and anti-fascist” on the synagogue’s walls.

The two-year-old Gaj Tache was the victim of a terror attack by armed Palestinian terrorists at the entrance to the Great Synagogue of Rome on October 9, 1982.

The attack, carried out by members of the Abu Nidal terrorist organization, killed the child and wounded 34 worshipers as they left Shabbat morning prayers. The five attackers threw grenades and fired submachine guns before fleeing the scene. None of them has ever served jail time.

The Union of Young Italian Jews said the graffiti was “an insult to the Jewish community and a direct attack on Italy and the values on which our democracy is founded.”

“Those who commit such acts are not engaging in politics, nor expressing dissent,” the organization said in a statement on X. “They are fueling antisemitism: the same hatred that has already wounded Italy in the past and that is resurfacing with disturbing ease.”

L’Unione Giovani Ebrei d’Italia condanna con fermezza il vergognoso atto vandalico contro la Sinagoga di Monteverde. Le scritte comparse sui muri e l’imbrattamento della targa dedicata a Stefano Gaj Tachè sono un insulto alla comunità ebraica e allo stesso tempo un attacco… pic.twitter.com/P9giNRLEw0

— UGEI – Unione Giovani Ebrei d'Italia (@ugei_it) December 1, 2025

The Jewish Community of Rome also sharply condemned the “serious intimidating act” of vandalism, noting in a statement that Italian President Sergio Mattarella had called to express solidarity with the community.

Victor Fadlun, President of the Jewish Community, said in a post on Instagram that the incident came amid a “climate of intimidation” where antisemitism has “become a tool of political protest.”

“We place our trust in the police and call for the government’s strong intervention to halt this spiral of hatred,” Fadlun continued.

The incident comes amid a recent series of antisemitic vandalism in Rome, an epicenter of pro-Palestinian activism that has continued to see large demonstrations even after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

In October, the words “Dirty Jews, may you all burn” were spray-painted on the shutters of a kosher bakery, and in June, a sign at another local synagogue was defaced with the words “Sieg Heil” and ”Juden Raus.”

“This is an act that outrages the Jewish community and deeply wounds it, because the plaque is dedicated to a child murdered by Palestinian terrorism and because this is a meeting place where young people and children meet, where they pray and create a sense of community,” Fadlun told Corriere della Sera. “Attacking the synagogue in this way means disavowing and violating the right of Jews to be able to come together and lead a normal life.”

Antonio Tajani, the Italian minister of foreign affairs, condemned the vandalism in a post on X, adding that he had called Fadlun as well.

The European Jewish Congress also spoke out in a post on X. “This is not ‘anti-Zionism.’ It is antisemitism: the targeting of Jewish memory, Jewish mourning and Jewish history,” the group said. “Stefano’s name is a symbol of one of Italy’s darkest terror attacks. His memory should be protected, not desecrated. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Italy and call on authorities to investigate this hate crime and ensure that such acts are treated with the seriousness they deserve.”