Unknown vandals defaced a portrait of the late Shani Amin and her partner Adam Ilayev, who were murdered together on October 7 in the Nova music festival, which was painted on a bomb shelter in Ashdod. The two were drawn together as part of commemorative activities in the memory of the October 7 massacre victims. Shani's grandfather said: "Those who defaced my granddaughter's face are despicable," Shani's grandfather said. "Don't the dead get to rest?"
The mural was painted on a shelter on HaHistadrut Street in the city, and the faces of Shani and Adam appeared on it as part of the commemoration effort. The artist who painted the mural on the bomb shelter is Itay Nevet.
Family members were shocked to discover that Shani's face in the mural had been vandalized and filed a report with the police.
Shani's grandfather, Ami Halfon, was furious. "Those who defaced my granddaughter's face are scum. Don't the dead get to rest? Who are these scum who did this? Why? A couple of times a week, I go to see her, I have to, I kiss her and leave. It's like visiting her grave. Today, I went shopping and saw her face. I thought it was chalk or something. I was shocked, and immediately called the local deputy mayor, who is my friend, and told him. In my opinion, it's radical Haredim. They can't even see the face of a woman, even if she is dead in photos, it's unbelievable. What have we come to? Unbelievable, simply unbelievable."
This is not the first time that images of women in public spaces in Ashdod have been defaced or covered, as is sometimes seen in street signs or advertisements. The vandalism may have been carried out by extremists, who were also responsible in the past for similar acts.
Ashdod Mayor Yechiel Lasri has ordered an investigation into the desecration.
"Vandalizing the mural of the late Shani Amin together with the late Adam Ilayev, who were murdered in the Hamas massacre on October 7, is a shocking and grave offense in every aspect. We condemn this barbaric act, and we will make every effort to capture the criminals who did this," Lasri said. "That's why I instructed the municipality's security department to file a report with the police and to help them by using our surveillance system throughout the city, to find and prosecute the criminals."
"The defacement of women in public spaces, especially the late Shani Amin, is a dangerous and ugly phenomenon," the mayor added. "All the residents of the city and I strongly condemn the phenomenon and work to uproot it. On behalf of all the city's residents, I would like to apologize to the Amin family for this pain, while dealing with the terrible loss of Shani, God bless her memory."