Antisemitic Message Discovered in Mezuzah at Nahariya Hospital

An unsettling incident was reported at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, as a mezuzah adorning the doors of the Oncology Department was defiled with hateful antisemitic messages. The parchment within the mezuzah was replaced with a handwritten note containing messages of animosity.

One side of the note, written in poorly crafted Hebrew, carried the message, “All Jews are liars, they have no religion, they are murderers and terrorists. Death to Jews.” On the other side, in Arabic, it stated, “There is no god but All-h. Muhammad is the messenger of G-d. Islam is the solution.”

The Galilee Medical Center, an essential institution serving around 600,000 residents in the northern region, was deeply disturbed by this occurrence. Hospital director Prof. Masaad Barhoum took swift action, ordering the inspection of all mezuzos on the premises. A formal complaint was filed with the police, although capturing the perpetrators poses a challenge due to the lack of surveillance camera coverage in the relevant areas.

Chen Almagor, a candidate for the Nahariya City Council representing the Religious Zionist Party, strongly condemned the incident, emphasizing that the act was reprehensible, particularly within a hospital that extends its services without regard to religion or nationality. Almagor expressed confidence in the police’s commitment to preventing future incidents and bringing the responsible individuals to justice.

The Galilee Medical Center responded by stating, “During a routine mezuzah inspection, one was discovered containing paper notes praising Islam and disparaging Judaism. Upon discovering this, a complaint was filed with Israel Police. The medical center’s director also instructed an expedited inspection of all mezuzot within the hospital. Over 400 mezuzot have been inspected so far, and no similar instances have been found.”