Located in Sonnino Square in the vibrant Trastevere district, the bus stop sees thousands of locals and visitors daily. Reports from Italy indicate that ATAC, the public transport authority, quickly directed its contractor to take down the offensive poster and stated it would pursue a police complaint over the act. The city also saw a disturbing mural showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kissing Hitler several weeks ago.

This was spotted in Rome — a Nazi uniform with a Star of David armband.

This isn't "criticism of Israel." This is pure antisemitism.

Comparing Jews to Nazis is vile, dangerous, and dehumanizing.

NEVER AGAIN IS TODAY. pic.twitter.com/QyDXww6h6R

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) July 2, 2025

Victor Fadlun, head of Rome's Jewish community, expressed gratitude for ATAC's rapid response while sounding the alarm on the city's rising antisemitism. "Even with the authorities' efforts, this act reflects a surge in intolerable antisemitism, thriving in a climate tainted by reckless rhetoric and hateful narratives," he said.

Fadlun stressed the Jewish community's resolve, stating, "We will not endure any intimidation or assault on the memory, identity, or honor of the Jewish people. Our vigilance remains unwavering, and we will relentlessly challenge both antisemitic acts and the hatred that fuels them."

He urged, "Faced with such acts, all must unite in defense of democratic principles without wavering. Combating antisemitism is not solely a Jewish struggle – it is a shared duty."

Just days prior, Milan saw similar antisemitic signs declaring, "Israelis not welcome here." Nahum reported that Angela Persici, a local council member, swiftly removed them.

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Regardless of background or denomination, most Jews recognize the Star of David as a symbol of Judaism. Today, the symbol is practically ubiquitous in the Jewish world. The most iconic use of the star might be on the Israeli flag. But the Star of David wasn't always a universal symbol for Judaism. How did two overlapping triangles come to be the most universally recognizable symbol associated with Judaism?

In ancient times, the Star of David – or the Magen David – wasn't an exclusively Jewish symbol. It was a common geometric symbol, just like the five-point star and even the swastika.

The oldest record of the six-point star as a Jewish symbol was around the second or third century. Archeologists found Stars of David on the walls of the Synagogue of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. However, most experts think that these stars were used for decorative purposes and didn't hold any significant Jewish meaning.

Nearly a century later, the star appeared on the now famous Leningrad Codex, the oldest known manuscript of the Hebrew Bible dating from 1008 CE. However, it's unclear if it was used merely for decoration or had a deeper religious purpose.

Experts like German-Israeli academic and philosopher Gershom Scholem theorize that the star gained more meaning in Judaism in the mysterious teachings of the Kabbalah. The 13th and 14th centuries saw a growing movement of Jewish sages in Spain, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East writing kabbalistic texts that explored the foundations of Jewish mysticism.

These texts were the first sources to ascribe meaning to the six-point star. The Book of Boundary, written in Spain in the early 14th century, contains several depictions of the six-point star, which is identified as being on the Shield of David. According to the legend, King David's protective shield had magical powers and could ward off spirits and demons. Other works of the time make similar references to the king's magical amulet with a six-point star emblazoned on it.

But the earliest known particularly Jewish usage of the Star of David wasn't tied to a kabbalah scholar. In the mid-14th century, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV gave Prague's Jews the right to bear a flag. Under the red flag, with a yellow Star of David on it, Prague was the world's first Jewish community to use the star as its official emblem.

The Star of David was on flags and books in Prague at the time and in surrounding Jewish communities, but it didn't go viral until the 18th century. It started in Europe, where everywhere Jews looked, they saw the symbol of Christianity: the cross. Seeking their own distinctly Jewish symbol, communities turned to the Star of David. This struck a chord with Diaspora Jews and spread to synagogues across the world.

The star was cemented as the Jewish symbol in 1897 at the first Zionist Congress in Basel, which was chaired by Theodor Herzl. There, the Star of David was chosen over icons like the menorah as the official Zionist symbol for two reasons. First, Jews everywhere already knew it, thanks to the widespread use of the star during the 19th century, when it became splashed on synagogues, prayer books, tombstones, and more. Second, it didn't carry the religious significance that other symbols did.

By the mid-20th century, no symbol was more tied to Judaism. Zionist leaders embraced the six-point star, arguing that it didn't evoke memories of the past and could represent a brighter future. But in Nazi Germany, hopes of a brighter future dimmed. To pervert the symbol of the Jewish people, Hitler decreed that all Jews under the Third Reich wear a yellow six-point star as a badge of shame. The yellow Star of David is one of the most enduring images of the Holocaust. But the Jews who survived would not let Hitler decide their symbol's legacy. On the heels of World War Two, they reclaimed their star with the establishment of the State of Israel.

In the debate over what emblem would be featured on the young nation's flag, the flag of the Zionist movement already had strong support, but Israeli politicians like Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett had reservations. He and others feared that Jewish communities in the diaspora could face dual loyalty charges if the flags of the Zionist movement and the Israeli flag were the same.

Therefore, in June 1948, the Israeli government's designated committee announced a public competition calling for flag designs. Though it wasn't a requirement, entries were encouraged to include a menorah and seven gold stars – a design dreamed up by Herzl and sketched in his diary in the late 19th century. During the two-week-long competition, 164 people participated, submitting a total of 450 designs.

While deciding on the final design, Sharett wanted input from the diaspora. So, he reached out to Zionist leaders abroad. The response was clear. They and their constituents overwhelmingly preferred to have the Zionist flag become Israel's national flag. On October 28, 1948, the Provisional Council voted unanimously to adopt the Zionist flag as that of the State of Israel.

But the star can also be controversial. Is it a symbol for a people or a country? The Jewish people predate the modern State of Israel, and so does the symbol. The legacy of the star lives on almost everywhere in Jewish communities throughout the world.

Whether this symbol dates back thousands of years or a few hundred, it's an emblem woven deeply into the fabric of modern Jewish history and serves as a powerful image that binds the Jewish people together today.

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The Israel Police denied allegations Saturday that officers beat a Palestinian during a recent arrest, imprinting the Star of David on his cheek, saying the reports on the incident were "biased and distorted."

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The suspect, in his 30s from the Shuafat refugee camp, was arrested last week on suspicion of drug possession with intent to distribute.

According to an official statement, "materials suspected to be drugs were confiscated in an amount not intended for personal use," including over two pounds of substances believed to be hashish, ecstasy, methadone, and other drugs.

The police said officers had no choice but to use force as the detainee violently resisted arrest and that the mark on his cheek was most likely made by a boot pressed against his face.

"At a certain point, the suspect began to lose control, and violently attacked officers and resisted arrest," the statement said. "Due to his actions, police were forced to use reasonable force until the arrest process was completed.

"As part of the investigation, the suspect's detention has been extended by the court until August 20. If there are complaints about a particular behavior, they should be examined by the relevant authorities," it said.

The suspect's attorney, however, accused the officers of brutality and racial animus – allegations that the forces denied.

None of the sixteen officers involved in the arrest had their body cameras on at the time, reportedly due to a technical problem.

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The mayor of Alaska's largest city apologized Thursday for his comments supporting some residents' use of Holocaust imagery to liken a proposed citywide mask mandate to the oppression of Jewish people in Nazi Germany.

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Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson has said he staunchly opposes the proposal and initially defended the use of yellow Stars of David worn by other critics this week at heated public hearings. Such imagery has been used by opponents of mask and vaccine mandates across the US, drawing condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish organizations.

The proposal before the Anchorage Assembly would require people to wear masks in indoor public spaces and outdoors at large events. If approved as written, businesses and building owners would be required to deny entry to people not wearing masks, though there are exceptions for small children and some others.

Anchorage instituted mask mandates under two different mayoral administrations. Bronson was elected in May after pledging not to enact mask mandates.

During a Tuesday assembly meeting, he said the proposed mask mandate is "reckless and ill-conceived."

"I oppose this ordinance because it is based on inconclusive science, because it is bad policy, and because it is an unconstitutional infringement on the freedom guaranteed to every Anchorage citizen by our federal and state constitutions," Bronson said. "But most of all, I oppose this ordinance because it pits neighbor against neighbor, shop owner against customer, and friend against friend."

At a hearing the next day, he defended the use of the yellow stars, with the words "Do not comply," worn by some attendees opposing the mask mandate.

Christine Hill, who twice ran unsuccessfully for the assembly, printed out the stars at home and handed them out for others to wear to draw a comparison to the oppression and genocide of Jewish people in Nazi Germany.

"We're going down that same road, what's happening now, taking more and more of our freedom away. And that's what's happening. That's what's frightening," Hill said.

Assemblymember Forrest Dunbar, who is Jewish and lost to Bronson in the mayoral race, decried the use of the Star of David, reading a letter he received from his rabbi, Abram Goodstein.

"It was heart-wrenching for me when I noticed individuals were wearing yellow Stars of David, mimicking my Jewish ancestors who perished during the Holocaust," Dunbar read, quoting Goodstein.

"For myself and most Jews, seeing the yellow Star of David on someone's chest elicits the same feeling as seeing a swastika on a flag or the SS insignia on a uniform," the letter said. "I believe it is a constitutional right to protest for your values. But I request that you do not use symbols that diminish the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust."

During his comments on the subject Wednesday, Bronson said: "There was a formal message that came out within Jewish culture about that, and the message was, 'Never again.' That's an ethos. And that's what that star really means is, 'We will not forget, this will never happen again.' And I think us borrowing that from them is actually a credit to them."

On Thursday, the mayor issued a statement apologizing for his remarks.

"I understand that we should not trivialize or compare what happened during the Holocaust to a mask mandate, and I want to apologize for any perception that my statements support or compare what happened to the Jewish people in Nazi Germany," Bronson said.

The hearing was scheduled to continue Thursday. Bronson could issue a veto on the proposal, but the assembly has the authority to override it.

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A group of radical protesters who oppose the coronavirus vaccination efforts have intensified their activities in recent days in the hope of casting this national campaign as a new form of persecution on a level similar to that endured by the Jews in 1930s and 1940s.

On Wednesday, ahead of Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day, many changed their profile picture to a Yellow Star of David to allege that the vaccine effort has created discrimination similar to what happened after the rise of Nazi Germany, when Jews had to wear a special Star of David as a means of singling them out.

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The Star of David they have been using also bears the writing "I am not vaccinated – I will bear a yellow pass." This is apparently in protest of the government's decision to issue "green passes" to those who have been fully vaccinated. Tghese passes allow access to various services and let their holders avoid certain restrictions that have been in place since the start of the pandemic.

The effort to taint the preferential treatment of those who have received the vaccines as a form of genocidal action stems from the claim that the vaccines are not safe, a claim that has been disproven. Such sentiment among anti-vaxxers has also been common among US activist groups.

When the suggestion was raised in February that a yellow Star of David be worn, Israel's Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said that he was shocked at how they dare compare the Holocaust to the current effort to make people healthy.  "The government has been providing a vaccine that people are fighting over around the world, and they dare compare this to the horrors of the Nazis?" he asked in bewilderment. "They are a bunch of crazies and unhinged people; they are inflicting harm on everyone!"

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Jeudy sported a gold Star of David pendant around his neck during his media session Tuesday at the annual gathering of top NFL prospects.

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Asked about its significance he explained it was in reference to the first syllable of his last name.

"My last name's Jeudy. People sometimes call me 'Jew,' ... So, I just got a Jewish star," he explained. "I'm not Jewish, though."

The Star of David, is shaped like a hexagram and is a widely recognized symbol of modern Jewish identity and Judaism.

Jeudy, the headliner of a deep wide receiver class, later tweeted an apology.

"Don't mean no disrespect to the Jewish people! I'm sorry to the people who take my chain offensive!!" Jeudy wrote.

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The Arizona branch of the Anti-Defamation League blasted the posters.

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"We are very concerned by the placing of fliers on the Arizona State University campus with a swastika over the weekend. Use of this hate symbol is not normal. We condemn its use to promote hate and divisiveness. We are in contact with law enforcement to find out more to ensure the safety and security of students," posted ADL Arizona on Facebook.

ADL Arizona added that it has been in contact with Hillel and Chabad on campus.

"We are deeply concerned about the recent anti-Semitic fliers posted around campus, some depicting references to the Holocaust. The fliers trivialize one of the darkest periods in history in which more than six million Jews were killed," posted ASU Hillel on Facebook. "Like you, we believe this message has no place on our campus. We are proud to work with you to make Jewish life on campus stronger every day, and an isolated incident such as this one will not deter us."

"We are disturbed and bothered by the recent anti-Semitic fliers on campus," Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel, director of the Rohr Chabad House at ASU, told Jewish News Syndicate. "We've spoken with dozens of students since the incident, and many are frustrated and concerned, and we share their feelings. We are here to listen to and to support the students at all times."

In a statement, ASU said it knows about the posters as first reported on Friday by a student.

"Ensuring the safety and security of our students is our top priority, and the university undertakes extensive efforts to ensure student safety is not compromised," said the statement. "ASU is a place where open debate can thrive and honest disagreements can be explored, but not when hateful rhetoric is used. That is not who we are."

Out of a total student body of 51,585, there are an estimated 3,800 Jewish students at ASU, or 7.4% of the student population, according to Hillel International.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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