"Hitler" and "Free Palestine": Prayer book received by customer found defaced

A man who ordered a prayer book online for the Tishrei holidays received it with handwritten hateful graffiti, including "Hitler" and "Free Palestine," alongside a drawing of a male sexual organ.

According to a report by the Jewish-German news site "Jüdische Allgemeine," the buyer, who works for a Jewish-German organization, ordered the book from a bookstore in Berlin. Upon opening the package, he discovered the vandalism, which had been carried out with a blue pen.

Specifically, the word "Hitler" was written on the pages of the Musaf prayer for Rosh Hashanah, "Free Palestine" appeared on the pages related to Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals), and an obscene drawing was found on another page.

The buyer contacted the bookstore owners regarding the incident. Since other books in the same shipment arrived intact, he suspects the prayer book was defaced before it reached the store.

Store employees confirmed that the prayer books were delivered to them without packaging, suggesting the vandalism may have occurred at an earlier stage in the supply chain.

Elio Adler, founder and chairman of the WerteInitiative organization, which promotes democratic and liberal values in Germany, stated that the case illustrates how antisemitism is not limited to overt, reported events but can also be a daily experience.

The store is treating the matter seriously and intends to investigate to identify those responsible for the vandalism.

"We are in contact with them regarding the issue," Adler told "Jüdische Allgemeine."