|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Vandals defaced a synagogue in Santiago, Chile, on Friday with red spray paint and a graphic poster showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a bullet hole in his forehead.
Police are actively investigating the incident.
The targeted site — Bikur Cholim Synagogue — serves a small segment of Santiago’s Jewish community.
Israeli Ambassador Peleg Lewi confirmed the attack and condemned it as a dangerous act of incitement.
One piece of graffiti read: “If you keep silent, you’re part of genocide.”
Lewi noted that Chile had seen few antisemitic incidents in recent years. However, he warned against importing the Israel-Hamas conflict into the country’s political discourse. He called on leaders and citizens alike to help preserve calm and prevent extremist rhetoric from gaining ground.
Jewish Community Denounces the Vandalism
The Jewish Community of Chile released a strong statement condemning the attack. In a post on X, the organization emphasized the broader threat to coexistence and religious freedom.
“Chile is a country that values freedom of worship, and that means we must respect, care for, and protect one another, regardless of our beliefs,” it said. “Vandalism of a holy site is not just an attack on a community but on the coexistence and peace of the entire country.”
Condenamos rotundamente el ataque a una sinagoga de Santiago. Lamentablemente no es la primera vez que ocurre.
Los actos de odio no pueden ser relativizados, normalizados o justificados bajo consignas políticas o ideológicas: deben ser condenados con fuerza y de manera… pic.twitter.com/CTAHqDs6yh
— Comunidad Judía de Chile (@comjudiachile) August 24, 2025
Community leaders urged Chileans from all backgrounds to speak out against hate. They warned that remaining silent allows extremism to take root.
Middle East Tensions Reach Latin America
Chile is home to nearly 500,000 people of Palestinian descent — one of the world’s largest such communities outside the Middle East. By comparison, the country’s Jewish population is much smaller, estimated between 20,000 and 25,000.
As the war in Gaza intensifies global tensions, antisemitic threats are increasingly surfacing across Latin America. Chile is now confronting this reality.
Although Chile promotes religious tolerance, this attack has rattled Jewish residents. Community leaders are calling for clear red lines and stronger government action to prevent future incidents.
Authorities have not yet identified suspects. However, law enforcement has pledged to continue the investigation and treat the case with the seriousness it warrants.
