Swastikas Spray-Painted on Babi Yar Memorial in Ukraine
Swastikas were found painted on the Holocaust memorial monument at Babi Yar in Kyiv for the second time in two months.
The menorah-shaped monument, a memorial for the 33,000 Jews murdered by Nazi troops in September 1941, is located at the site of the murders.
The hateful graffiti was found Monday morning during a tour of the site for schoolchildren.
The first such incident occurred at the end of September, around the time of the anniversary of the massacre.
Then, a swastika was sprayed by vandals on a base stone of the monument, where the story of the horrific incident is written. Caretakers worked for over an hour trying to remove the abhorrent symbol.
In a separate but parallel incident at the end of last week, anti-Semitic graffiti was found spray-painted on the walls of a Jewish school in Kharkov, Ukraine.
The graffiti included the slogans “Kill the Jews,” and “Heil Happy Holocaust,” as well as crossed out images of Stars of David and swastikas.
Educators were quick to call the local police, who arrived immediately and conducted tests and other trace search operations. They are continuing their investigation into the incident.
Anti-Semitic incidents in Ukraine in the past year have included stabbings, graffiti, attacks on Jewish-owned businesses, and the firebombing of cars and synagogues.