Munich – Police
are investigating a graffiti attack on an outdoor exhibit about local Jewish
history.
The
exhibit is located in front of the Jewish museum and community center on
Jakobsplatz, called the new Jewish center, in central Munich.
The
graffiti, which was discovered Monday, includes Hitler mustaches burned on
photographs of rabbis and politicians. The department for politically motivated
crimes is investigating, according to local reports.
The exhibit was erected last week following a public celebration
of 200 years since the founding of Munich’s Jewish community and 70
years since its reestablishment after the Holocaust.
Bavaria’s
minister of culture, Ludwig Spaenle, said in a statement that “the attack
on these images must be seen as an attack on the people themselves.”
In one image, mustaches were burned on a photo of former Munich
Mayor Christian Ude and former German President Horst Kohler during
the laying of the foundation stone for the Jewish center. A
police spokesman told the Bild
daily newspaper that it appeared someone had used a cigarette to burn the
Hitler mustaches on the image as well as on a photo of prominent rabbis.
Charlotte
Knobloch, head of the Jewish Community of Munich and of the umbrella
organization for Bavaria, said she was “dismayed” and personally upset
about the incident, in part because the image of her own brother-in-law,
Rabbi Roman Knobloch, was defaced.
