-Sapo.pt
The Jewish Cultural Center in Lisbon has reportedly been the target of regular acts of vandalism and messages of hate. The article below from Sapo.pt is dated September 6 and is translated by Fousesquawk. (Note that the article incorrectly spells the name of the director of the Jewish center. The correct spelling is Waldman.)
"Killers of children": Jewish Cultural Center in Lisbon target of vandalism every week
SIC News
September 6, 2025 at 16:00
Caption: "Killers of children": Jewish Cultural Center in Lisbon is the target of vandalism every week.
"There is an explosion of anti-Semitism in Lisbon", lamented the director of the Jewish Cultural Center, pointing out that Jews and Israelis living in Portugal are not responsible for the conflict in Gaza.
The Jewish Cultural Center-Rua (street) da Judiaria, in Lisbon, has been the target of weekly acts of vandalism and messages of hate since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, the founder of the association told Lusa.
Every week, stickers and messages written about the boycott of Israel and against the Israelis appear on the exterior walls, Luciano Waldeman (sic) said, giving as examples, "You are not welcome in Portugal" or "Death to Israel".
"People cannot separate the things," he lamented, stressing that the center has been the target of anti-Semitic attacks.
On Monday, messages like "Free Gaza", were written on the walls of the Jewish Cultural Center, but also declarations of hate towards Jews as "child killers".
The founder of the center on Rua da Judiaria also related that every two weeks, someone appears who tries to tear down the Star of David, a Jewish symbol in the form of a 6-pointed star, from the wall.
Luciano Waldman said that he has already had conflicts with persons from the group, Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS), a movement led by Palestinians that advocates for the end of occupation in Gaza and of the colonization of Palestinian territories.
"I said to the man, Look, I respect your opinions, but not the stickers. The man simply wanted to attack me, shouting like a crazy man saying, ' you are a Zionist, Zionists like you have to die, people like you deserve to die,' and so on," he (Waldman) said.
Contacted by Lusa, BDS denied the accusations and declared it has no knowledge of the conflicts, stressing that it doesn't tolerate discriminatory acts.
"In conformance with the UN definition of racial discrimination, the BDS movement does not tolerate any act or speech that adopts or promotes, among others, anti-black racism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia or anti-Semitism, or sexism, or xenophobia, or homophobia," the organization stated.
The movement further stated that it rejects the comparison of critics of the state of Israel with anti-Semitism.
"We repudiate any dishonest and dangerous attempt to equate and make criticism of the state of Israel equivalent to anti-Semitism," BDS stated.
Luciano Waldman said that he has received racist insults at Rua da Judiaria, for example, "Go back to your country, the man with the little mustache was right."
"There is an explosion of anti-Semitism in Lisbon," lamented the director, pointing out that the Jews and Israelis who live in Portugal are not responsible for the conflict in Gaza.
"We are not soldiers and we are not the government of Israel that is making decisions about the war, the official stated.
He further stated that he has filed hundreds of complaints to the Lisbon City Council regarding the messages of hate, and the incidents are posted on the center's social media, on Instagram, Facebook, pointing out that up to now, nothing has been done.
"Nothing has been done, and things are only getting worse," the official warned.
Lusa attempted to contact the Lisbon City Council to obtain clarifications, but the authority did not respond.
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