Gdansk, Poland – Vandals Leave Swastikas On Gdansk Synagogue On Eve Of 75th Anniversary Of Kristallnacht

Gdansk, Poland – On the eve of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht, vandals defamed the walls of a Gdansk synagogue and Jewish community headquarters with swastikas, Nazi SS signs, and other anti-Semitic graffiti.

Kristallnacht, or ‘Night of the Broken Glass,’ is long remembered as the night in 1938 when Jews throughout Nazi Germany saw their homes and businesses destroyed in coordinated attacks.

GAZETA TROJMIASTO (http://bit.ly/HCBsIM) reports that Mieczyslaw Abramowicz, a spokesman for the Gdansk Jewish community, said,”It’s spitting in the face of the victims of the Holocaust.”

Police arrived on the scene after the vandalism was discovered on Monday, collecting any traces of evidence they could find around the buildings.

“I have to admit, the police appeared on the spot very quickly,” said Abramowicz, while noting that “the police themselves were very moved at the vandalism.”

A spokesman for the Gdansk police, Alexander Siewert, said so far the police have found nothing on the city’s monitoring equipment, but that they are checking the cameras of local buildings, as well.

Police also said they are interviewing local residents in their search for information.

Police are not sure if this latest vandalism is connected to an Oct. 16 fire that was started in another synagogue.

Abramowicz said the act made him recall both the Oct. 16 fire and Kristallnacht, calling it a “coincidence of barbarism.”

“The swastika appeared on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. I recall that at the time, in 1938. The Nazis also tried to destroy us by burning down our synagogue. This may therefore indicate that it was not a prank of some teenagers, but those who know history a little better. This is a unique barbarism,” Abramowicz said.