Swastika found on Holocaust memorial

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Officials are trying to determine who defaced the Holocaust Memorial on Albany Avenue in front of the Chabad House Synagogue.

A passerby notice the red swastika painted on the memorial.

The swastika was painted on a memorial that honors the death of 6 million Jews lost in the Holocaust during World War II.

“I was very hurt, very disappointed, and very worried,” says Rabbi Gopin.

Rabbi Joseph Gopin of the Chabad Lubavitch Center of Greater Hartford learned of the spray-painted swastika from a police officer early Sunday morning.

“To put a Swastika on a Holocaust memorial is an insult to the victims and families and friends. It’s a tremendous setback,” says Gopin.

To add insult to injury, the Rabbi says inside the memorial are ashes of victims of the Holocaust.

Rabbi Isaac Avigdor endured six years of a concentration camp. His father was imprisoned in another.

For such a tragic and pivotal time in history, Rabbi Avigdor created the memorial.

“I want people to remember,” says Rabbi Avigdor. “To be a holocaust survivor, is a greater act of heroism than to die.”

His memorial has been descrated.

“It’s not insulting, it’s hurting,” says Rabbi Avigdor.

“This is the quintessential symbol of anti-semitism, the moniker of the Nazis, and particularly here, because of the location, because of the timing and context of world events,” says David Waren of the Anti-Defamation League.

There have already been volunteers to clean the memorial. Rabbi Gopin says if the idea of this symbol was to create division or fear, then it failed.

“They’re trying to threaten us, or weaken our spirit, just be told, don’t worry about, our spirit will become only stronger,” says Rabbi Gopen.

Police are looking for suspects in this case.