The Nashville Holocaust Memorial. Image by Nashville Holocaust Memorial

By Ari Feldman June 15, 2020

Local law enforcement are investigating after the Nashville Holocaust Memorial was vandalized Saturday afternoon with neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic messages.

The memorial, set in a wooded area near the city’s Jewish Community Center was covered with a white sheet that bore messages like “1488,” a hate symbol used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and “Kikes Lie, Whites Die,” according to local news reports.

In a statement, the JCC said that the sheet was “immediately” removed after being discovered Saturday.

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“We are fortunate to have an excellent security team in place to protect us,” the statement said. They work hand in hand with local and national authorities to keep us and our campus safe. At a time when our nation is confronting racism and anti-Semitic attacks are rising, our JCC community continues to stand united with those who condemn discrimination in all its forms.”

The memorial, completed and dedicated in 2006, featured a sculpture of a book with its pages torn and burnt out by Alex Limor, a local steelworker and the son of Holocaust survivors.

In April, two synagogues in Huntsville, Ala., — about two hours from Nashville — were vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. That and other instances of anti-Semitic graffiti found on or near Jewish institutions has led to concern among security experts that the pandemic has incubated anti-Semitic sentiment among extremists.

Ari Feldman is a staff writer at the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aefeldman

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