A medieval-era Slovenian synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Sunday night, according to Maribor Synagogue director Boris Hajdinjak and German ambassador to Slovenia Sylvia Groneick.
"Jews are the evil of the world,” graffiti spray-painted on the Jewish holy site read, according to photographs shared on Facebook by Hajdinjak. “Death to the Jews, Glory to Slovenia.”
Other graffiti called on others to "read more of the Talmud," Jewish religious texts that often feature in claims made by antisemites and conspiracy theorists.
Hajdinjak said that law enforcement had been made aware of the vandalization of the national cultural site, which the synagogue claims on its Facebook page to be "the most important monument of Jewish cultural heritage on Slovenian soil."
"Jews have always been a small minority in Slovenian history. That is why it is exceptional that a medieval synagogue has been preserved in Maribor. Namely: there are not many European cities that have a preserved medieval synagogue," Hajdinjak said on Facebook Monday. "Truly strong countries are countries that include all their inhabitants, including the smallest minority. I believe that the majority of the inhabitants of the Republic of Slovenia agree with this opinion."
International responses
The German embassy said on Instagram Wednesday that the synagogue was a critical space for fostering cultural spaces and maintaining Slovenian Jewish heritage.
"We condemn this attack against the Synagogue in the strongest terms possible and reject any form of antisemitism," said the embassy. "At a time when democracy is under pressure across the world, institutions such as the Synagogue Maribor are more important than ever."
Over the weekend, the Maribor synagogue in Slovenia was desecrated with vile antisemitic graffiti by Neo-nazis“Jews are the evil of the world”“Death to the Jews, Glory to Slovenia”“Read more of the Talmud”“Communist murderers”This appalling act of hatred is a painful… pic.twitter.com/sCzsTMrrer
— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) January 13, 2025
The European Jewish Congress on X Monday accused neo-Nazis of being responsible for the graffiti.
"This appalling act of hatred is a painful reminder of the growing antisemitism in Europe, targeting even the smallest Jewish communities," said EJC. "Such attacks are an affront not only to Jewish communities but to the values of tolerance and respect that should define our societies."