JERUSALEM (JTA) — Students from an Israeli high school who visited the site of the former Auschwitz concentration camp said they will apologize after a member of their delegation spray-painted graffiti on a wall at the site.
The graffiti discovered in recent days on the wall of a cell block included the date of the visit, the name of the school and a Star of David, Ynet reported. Photos of the graffiti have been circulating on social media in recent days, according to reports.
The school identified in the graffiti, Ort Rogozin in Migdal HaEmek, sent a delegation of 80 students to visit the site late last month.
“We are outraged by this incident, and we will handle it with all due gravity,” the school said in a statement. “We’ve established a special inquiry team, and we will take action based on the findings.”
A student who was part of the delegation told Ynet: “This is an inappropriate act that hurts us all. It goes against all of the values our delegation believes in. We went there to remember and hear the stories and show presence of students from Israel. Each of the students treats this as if he or she had done it. We’ve taken this to heart.
“We’re trying to think of the best and most appropriate way to apologize.”
The graffiti was first reported by Israel’s Channel 2, which also said Hebrew graffiti was discovered recently at the site of the Treblinka camp.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
