During the Shavuot holiday, anti-Semitic graffiti was daubed on the notice board of the Central Synagogue in Bulgaria's capital Sofia, the Jewish umbrella body Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” reports.
The security cameras of the synagogue captured one of the perpetrators, and police later arrested four people aged between 19 and 20 in connection with the attack. The Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” and the Central Israeli Religious Council react strongly to what happened and expect the competent authorities to apprehend the perpetrator.
The Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” declared in reaction to the incident: "The Shavuot holiday is dedicated to the time when Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and transmitted them to the Jewish people after the Exodus from Egypt. The transmission of the Ten Commandments is the biggest act of God and a gift to the people to learn how to live in this world. Encroachment on one of the symbols of Judaism in Bulgaria is a fact that proves once again that we must all urgently start a dialogue against these acts of hatred, xenophobia and anti-Semitism in order to preserve the universal human values."
The incident was one of a number in Sofia in recent years. A recent report by the Anti-Defamation League outlined the incidence of anti-Semitism in Bulgaria. Also in recent years, a civic initiative has been held in the capital city once a year, to clean walls and surfaces of racist and anti-Semitic graffiti.
Sofia's Central Synagogue is one of two still functioning in Bulgaria. The Jewish community in the southeastern European countries numbers around 2,200.
