Stumbling stones are ordinary Roman cobblestones bearing a brass plaque with the name and final destination of the Jews deported to Nazi death camps from the Italian capital during WWII.
The recent incident took place not in the Ghetto, but in Trastevere, and the stones commemorated the deportation of Michele Ezio Spizzichino and Auerelio Spagnoletto.
It was a woman passing by in Via Dandolo who noticed that the two stones were completely blackened.
The stones have now been cleaned and the police are investigating.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said, “Rome condemns this outrage against the stumbling stones”.
Rome Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni told La Stampa daily Wednesday that “for us Jews it is a fault to live and dare to defend ourselves”.
The defacements have occurred amid Israel’s war with Hamas following the Islamist militants’ surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Some 1400 people were killed by Hamas, and nearly 9000 have been killed in Gaza, almost half of them children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The great-grandson of one of the men honoured by one of the defaced stumbling stones claimed on Wednesday that Europe is not a place for Jews.
“The stumbling stone in memory of my great grandfather Aurelio Spagnoletto, deported to Auschwitz, was burned in Via Dandolo in Rome by those who do not accept that his great grandchildren should refuse to meet the same fate,” Jonathan Pacifici said on X.
“Europe is not a place for Jews.”
Two other stumbling stones located close by suffered the same defacement Wednesday.
ANSA
