Swastika, anti-Semitic slur painted on wall of former Krakow Ghetto

‘Whores Jews, get the f*** out of Poland’ daubed on wall on second day of Rosh Hashanah; police say no suspects

Vandals painted a swastika and anti-Semitic slur on one of the remaining walls of the former Krakow Ghetto on Oct. 1, 2019. (Courtesy of Jonathan Ornstein via JTA)
Vandals painted a swastika and anti-Semitic slur on one of the remaining walls of the former Krakow Ghetto on Oct. 1, 2019. (Courtesy of Jonathan Ornstein via JTA)

WARSAW (JTA) — A swastika and other graffiti were painted on the wall of the former ghetto in Krakow.

“Whores Jews, get the f*** out of Poland” alongside the swastika were discovered drawn with a tar-like substance on Tuesday — the second day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Municipal services painted over the graffiti on the same day.

Police investigated in the area of Limanowskiego Street; there are no suspects.

“While I was extremely upset to see the hateful graffiti on the ghetto wall, especially on Rosh Hashanah, the quick reaction by the city and the police reminded me why Krakow is such a good place to be a Jew,” said Jonathan Ornstein, director of the Jewish Community Center of Krakow.

Jews are marched through the streets during the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto, 1943 (Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons)

On Sunday, graffiti reading “Confederation against Jews #447” was discovered on the wall of the Jewish cemetery in Tarnow.

In 2018, the US Congress approved Law 447, or the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today, or JUST act, which insures that those who survived World War II or their heirs receive compensation for their losses, if it has not already happened. The Confederation is a right-wing political group that opposes the restitution of Jewish property.

Adam Bartosz of the Committee for the Protection of Monuments of Jewish Culture in Tarnow said he believes that the vandalism is associated with the current election campaign for the Polish national parliament. He announced a lawsuit against the Confederation Party.

Confederation activists in Tarnow claim they had nothing to do with the inscription.

Most Popular
read more: