Jewish groups condemn swastika graffiti on Spanish Maimonides statue

Jewish organizations are condemning the desecration of a statue of the medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides in Córdoba, Spain, over the weekend.

The graffiti was discovered Saturday on the base of the bronze statue in Tiberiades Plaza, in the heart of the city’s historic Jewish Quarter. Municipal workers later covered the vandalism with a temporary sign while a specialized team worked to remove the paint.

Spain’s National Police is investigating the incident.

The Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities calls the vandalism “an attack on our shared history, on the Golden Age, on our culture, on the values of knowledge, freedom, and coexistence that his legacy represents.”

The attack was “a stark reminder that antisemitism continues to target not only Jewish people, but also Jewish history, memory and culture,” the European Jewish Congress adds on X.

1/ A Nazi swastika has been painted on the statue of Maimonides in Córdoba, one of the city's most revered historical figures and one of the greatest Jewish philosophers of the Middle Ages. pic.twitter.com/M56vP203L0

— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) August 2, 2026

The bronze statue, sculpted by Amadeo Ruiz Olmos in 1964, commemorates the 760th anniversary of the death of Maimonides, known as the Rambam in Hebrew. The 12th-century Jewish philosopher, astronomer, and physician is best remembered for his monumental legal code, the Mishneh Torah, and philosophical treatise, The Guide for the Perplexed, both of which profoundly shaped both Jewish law and Western thought.