A mezuzah affixed to the doors of the Oncology Department at the Galilee Medical Center in the northern city of Nahariya was desecrated with antisemitic messages.
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The parchment scrolls inside the mezuzah, which contain the verses Shema Yisrael and Vehaya Im Shamo'a, were replaced with a handwritten note containing hateful messages.
On one side, in poorly written Hebrew, the note read, "All Jews are liars, they have no religion, they are murderers and terrorists. Death to Jews.” On the other side of the note, written in Arabic, it read, "There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of God. Islam is the solution."
The administration of the medical center, a vital facility serving some 600,000 northern residents, was deeply unsettled by the incident. Hospital director Prof. Masaad Barhoum promptly ordered the inspection of all mezuzahs on-site. A formal complaint was lodged with the police; however, they indicated that capturing the culprits would be no easy feat due to the absence of CCTV coverage in the areas in question.
Chen Almagor, a candidate for the Nahariyah City Council representing the Religious Zionist Party, condemned the incident, saying, "This act is deplorable, especially when it happens within a hospital that welcomes everyone without distinction of religion or nationality. We must not let such nationalist actions disrupt the harmony in the Galilee. I trust the police will take every measure to prevent future occurrences and bring those responsible to justice."
The Galilee Medical Center said in response, "During a routine mezuzah inspection, one was discovered containing paper notes praising Islam and disparaging Judaism. Upon discovering this, a complaint was filed with Israel Police. The medical center's director also instructed an expedited inspection of all mezuzahs within the hospital. Over 400 mezuzahs have been inspected so far, and no similar instances have been found."