The congregation of the Brodsky Synagogue in central Kiev found a statue of prominent Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem defaced with red swastikas overnight. The community’s rabbi called the act “the latest provocation.”

Photos posted by Moshe Reuven Azman, the chief rabbi of Ukraine, on his Facebook page show the bronze statue with at least two swastikas painted over it. The synagogue is located in the very center of the Ukrainian capital while the statue stands in a small park on the opposite corner of the crossroad.

Some commenters said they hoped numerous security cameras in the area would ensure a quick investigation into the apparent hate crime.

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Sholem Aleichem is the pen name of Solomon Rabinovich, a prominent writer who lived in the part of the Russian Empire that now constitutes Ukraine. The musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is based on his short stories.

The last decade of his life was spent in forced travel – pogroms and the hostilities of World War I forced his family to move several times before finally settling in New York.

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