In the middle of Berlin: Poster at Humboldt University glorifies murder of German-Israeli

A poster apparently surfaced at Humboldt University Berlin (HU) glorifying the assassination of Israeli diplomat Yaron Lischinsky in Washington and calling for violence against Jews. Above a portrait of Lischinsky, the text reads, "Make Zionists Afraid." In German, this translates roughly to "Instill fear in Zionists." A red triangle, used by Hamas supporters to mark enemies, is also depicted above Lischinsky's head. His year of birth and death are also shown on the poster.

Lischinsky and his partner, Sarah Milgrim, were shot dead on Wednesday in front of the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., presumably for political reasons. The now-captured perpetrator from Chicago allegedly shouted "Free, free Palestine" during the attack. According to media reports, Sarah Milgrim was not killed immediately, but rather was formally executed. Lischinsky and Milgrim worked for the Israeli Embassy in Washington and were attending an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on the evening of their murder.

A photo of the poster at Humboldt University was first shared on the social media account of Hanna Veiler, a board member of the Jewish Student Union of Germany. She told the Berliner Zeitung that she had been sent the photo by someone who wished to remain anonymous. The poster was hanging at the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Center in Berlin-Mitte, the HU's university library. Veiler further stated: "That there are people who rejoice in the murder of Jews is not new information for me. Nevertheless, this poster hits Jews unimaginably deep in the gut. This is another perfidious attempt to intimidate Jews and a clear death threat."

The Berlin police press office announced this afternoon that the matter was being investigated, but no findings were yet available. Humboldt University of Berlin was asked for comment.

Yaron Lischinsky, who was 28 years old, grew up in Nuremberg and emigrated to Israel at the age of 16. He is also said to have German citizenship and come from a Jewish-Christian family. According to American and Israeli media reports, he campaigned for peace between Palestinians and Israelis, as did his murdered partner Sarah Milgrim, who grew up in the United States. She was 26 years old. The couple planned to get engaged in Jerusalem next week.