Vandals slash out faces, Jewish stars, from Milan mural depicting Holocaust survivors

An Italian mural depicting two Holocaust survivors has been vandalized, with the faces of the survivors erased, Italian news sites reported on Tuesday.

The mural, which first appeared in Milan on September 30, was created by well-known pop artist aleXsandro Palombo.

It featured Liliana Segre (an Italian senator for life) and Sami Modiano, who are among the last remaining witnesses of the Holocaust, and who both survived Auschwitz. The mural depicted them with yellow Stars of David on their chests.

Palombo created the piece in response to threats made against Segre during a pro-Palestine protest on September 28, during which posters were held up with the words “Zionist agent” written across Segre’s face.

According to the reports on Tuesday, the vandals erased Segre’s and Modiano’s faces on the mural, as well as the Stars of David and the prisoner number on Modiano’s suitcase.

The Shoah Museum in Rome said that the vandalism “not only harms art but defaces the value of memory, which is fundamental for building a conscious and just society.”

The museum’s president, Mario Venezia, said the vandalism was a “vile and demented act.”

Venezia added that the defacers failed in erasing the memory of the two survivors.

“A scratch does not erase people, nor their past. They may damage the walls, but history and its teachings remain intact,” he said.

Italian politician Ester Mieli said, “The defacement of the mural dedicated to Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano represents yet another act of antisemitism, even after the dramatic events in Amsterdam.”

“This is a frightening antisemitism against which we must all fight. What happened today is unacceptable and shameful. To Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano, sending you a warm hug, and we thank you for your testimonies”.

Other works by the artist

Other works by the artist have been similarly defaced.

His mural, Lady in Red, portraying Vlada Patapov – a young woman who survived the attack by Hamas during the Nova music festival – was vandalized just a few hours after the mural was finished. Patapov’s silhouette was beheaded.

Palombo, a Milan native, has spoken about his support for Israel and his desire for a Gaza free from Hamas. In an interview with author Dorri Olds, he said, “It’s horrific that the people of Gaza are forced to live in inhumane conditions, enclosed in a fence, and that’s why I strongly condemn the Palestinian terrorists of Hamas. Their violence against the Israeli people is unacceptable.”

The artist recently revealed his new mural, which depicts Iranian student Ahoo Daryaei, who was arrested by the Iranian morality police at the Islamic Azad University of Tehran and subsequently went out in public in her underwear as a form of protest. The mural appears on the front of the Consulate General of Iran in Milan.

There have been 57 pro-Palestinian protests in Milan since October 7, according to Il Giorno. This weekend, protesters took to the streets to express support for the violent protesters in Amsterdam.