A Palestinian-American man who commissioned the painting of large mural in downtown Milwaukee, which compares Jews to Nazis, has vowed to commission more in the city after it was vandalized over the weekend; Meanwhile a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to produce new murals was removed from the platform.
The mural, located at the corner of two main streets in the city, combines a Star of David with a swastika and includes the caption: "The irony of becoming what you once hated." It also depicts drones, bombed-out buildings, women in headscarves carrying their children, an alleged mass grave, and an empty swing set.
It has sparked outrage and allegations of antisemitism. Simultaneously, a crowdfunding campaign was initiated to create more such murals. Managed on the popular platform GoFundMe, the campaign aimed to raise $10,000 to produce a series of new murals intended to raise awareness about what the organizers call "genocide" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The first mural was completed on a building owned by Palestinian-American Ihsan Atta, who initiated the project. Following an inquiry by Ynet, the platform removed the antisemitic campaign.
The mural has caused significant anger among Jewish community leaders in Milwaukee, who described it as a "vile and horrifying act of antisemitism." Miriam Rosenzweig, president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, claimed that the mural constitutes Holocaust denial and is intended to intimidate the Jewish community. "This mural harms Holocaust survivors who still live here," she also said.
Atta declared that comparing the Holocaust to what is happening in Gaza is justified. "That's precisely the point," he said, "what's happening in Gaza is a Holocaust." He argued that the use of the Star of David and the swastika together is political criticism of Israel, not an attack on Judaism. According to Atta, the Star of David is equivalent to the swastika and serves not only as a religious symbol but also a political one, as evidenced by its presence on the emblem of the Israeli Air Force. Atta has previously stirred controversy with provocative statements and even compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler on social media.
The new mural replaces a famous painting of Breonna Taylor, which had been in place since 2020 as part of the protest against police violence following the murder of George Floyd. Atta claims that he has preserved Taylor's original painting and plans to hang it elsewhere in the neighborhood.
Meanwhile, in the crowdfunding campaign, Atta sought support for creating additional murals and adding protective measures such as steel panels and security cameras to prevent vandalism. GoFundMe removed the campaign following Ynet's inquiry, stating that it violated their terms of use.
The mural was defaced with paint on Friday morning and restored the same day. Over the weekend, someone damaged about 75% of it. Atta said after the vandalism incidents that he would move his mural to a place that is "less accessible," according to local reports.
Jewish community leaders are calling on Milwaukee residents and the general public to stand against what they see as pure hate messages. "I urge everyone to recognize these images for what they are – and to resist them like any expression of hate," Rosenzweig said. She added that the community does not intend to take legal action to remove the mural since it is located on private property.
Simultaneously, not far from the site, the Jewish student organization Hillel at the University of Milwaukee reported another antisemitic incident on campus, where pro-Palestinian activists distributed flyers near the Hillel informational booth, accusing the organization of genocide in Gaza. At one point, some activists approached the booth and attempted to provoke a confrontation with Jewish staff and students. Campus police were called to the scene, and the event ended without injuries. This incident is the latest in a series of antisemitic incidents at the university, leading to the temporary suspension of the student organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, responded to the antisemitic incidents in Milwaukee, stating that they are "shocking and inconceivable. Every such expression must be condemned and opposed, on every platform or place. In these days when antisemitism is on the rise and Jews are attacked just for being Jewish, I support the thousands of Jewish Agency emissaries in the field who are working sensitively to support Jews in various communities. This is the mission of the Jewish Agency, especially at this time."