The walls of a Rome synagogue and a plaque dedicated to the memory of a two-year-old victim of terrorism were vandalized, Italian Jewish organizations reported on Monday.
The memorial plaque commemorating Michael Stefano Gaj Taché, on the wall of the Beth Michael Synagogue, was defaced with black spray paint, according to photographs shared by the Jewish Community of Rome, the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, and the Union of Young Jews of Italy.
The toddler was murdered in an October 9, 1982, terrorist attack on the Great Synagogue of Rome by Palestinian terrorists associated with the Abu Nidal group. According to The New York Times, the attackers threw grenades and fired submachine guns at worshipers as they left Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret services, wounding 34.
“Free Palestine” was spray-painted nearby, on the wall of the Monteverde Vecchio neighborhood’s synagogue.
Jewish Community of Rome president Victor Fadlun said in a video statement that the community had confidence in the police, but the desecration of the memorial and synagogue came amid a “climate of intimidation” and “antisemitism in general.”
He called for “strong government intervention to halt this spiral of hatred.”
'Affects not only the Jewish community but the entire country'
Union of Italian Jewish Communities president Noemi Di Segni said in a statement that the graffiti was a “vile act” that “affects not only the Jewish community but the entire country.”
“It is an act that deeply shocks us,’ she said, “and should shock the conscience of all Italians because it once again highlights the presence of fringe groups that do not hesitate to desecrate the memory, history, and fundamental values of our democracy, even without respecting places of worship,” Di Segni said.
“While the physical decorum of the plaque can be restored with a simple cleaning, the moral decorum and coherence of the memory of little Michael Stefano can be fully restored only by ending all forms of tolerance for acts that exploit conflicts, victims, and memory, and by ensuring that no cover-up or ambiguity – by organized groups, political groups, or representatives at any level – can further facilitate those who fuel violence and destabilize democracy in Italy.”
The Union of Young Jews of Italy (UGEI) said on X/Twitter that the vandalism was an insult against the Jewish community and an attack on Italian democratic values. Desecrating Michael Stefano’s memory was an attempt by those against those values to erase a page of tragic history.
“Those who commit such acts are not engaging in politics, nor expressing dissent,” UGEI posted. “They are fueling antisemitism: the same hatred that has already wounded Italy in the past and that is resurfacing with disturbing ease.”
The youth group called on civil society to immediately condemn such attacks.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that he had contacted Fadlun to express his solidarity, insisting that he condemned the desecration of the synagogue.
“Against every ghost of the past, enough antisemitism, enough hatred,” Tajani said.
The Diocese of Rome also expressed its solidarity with the Jewish community, calling for houses of worship to be respected.
“We demand that all forms of antisemitism be condemned, that every place of worship be respected for the high spiritual value it represents, and that all forms of physical and verbal violence give way to respect and dialogue.”