Netanyahu’s Image Defaced as Chile’s Oldest Shul Vandalized

Santiago’s Bicur Joilim Synagogue, the oldest Jewish house of worship in Chile’s capital, was vandalized during Shabbat services. Security footage captured three masked individuals spraying red paint across the synagogue’s facade and plastering posters depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a bullet hole in his forehead. The posters bore the message, “Your silence is consent to genocide,” referencing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict that escalated after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. This marks the fourth vandalism incident targeting the synagogue since that date, each growing more brazen, according to the Jewish Community of Chile.

Chile, home to 16,000 Jews, South America’s third-largest Jewish population, and an estimated 500,000 Palestinians, the largest diaspora outside the Middle East, has seen heightened tensions. President Gabriel Boric, known for his critical stance on Israel, has fuelled discontent among Jewish leaders. In 2019, when the Jewish community sent him a Rosh Hashanah gift, Boric tweeted, “I appreciate the gesture, but they could start by asking Israel to return the illegally occupied Palestinian territory.” His administration recalled Chile’s military attachés from Israel, supported international legal actions against Israeli officials, and imposed an arms embargo, intensifying anti-Israel sentiment.

Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren condemned the vandalism, stating, “No expression of hatred or violence can be normalized; there is no argument that justifies intimidation or discrimination.” He called for “open and respectful dialogue” as the democratic way to express dissent. However, Gabriel Silber, the Jewish Community of Chile’s director of public affairs, expressed frustration, saying, “Unfortunately, we see a certain invisibility and denial of this reality by the authorities in our country, which leads to inaction and is a breeding ground for impunity for these serious actions against our community. Here, the motive for the attacks is not Israel, but Chileans who suffer hatred and constant stigmatization simply for being Jewish. We see no real concern from the Chilean state regarding this issue.”

Local police are investigating, but no arrests have been made. The Jewish community, feeling increasingly vulnerable amid a 200% global surge in anti-Semitic incidents since October 2023, calls for stronger government action to curb hate.