this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2023
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Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues.

The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem.

Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist and said initial questioning suggested he smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The man’s lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that he had acted out of religious fanaticism.

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[–] Stabbitha@lemmy.world 111 points 1 year ago (1 children)

STOP DESTROYING HISTORY BECAUSE OF YOUR SUPERSTITIONS, ASSHOLES!

[–] quindraco@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago

Also, there simply isn't a Jewish rule about defacing non-Jewish idols. It is 100% completely, utterly irrelevant to the Jewish religion when a goy declares a statue to be of their deity, e.g. Athena. The only relevant law in Judaism bans jews from worshipping idols.

[–] worldwidewave@lemmy.world 106 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Instead, Kaufman said, the tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labeled the Jerusalem syndrome. The condition — a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims — is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.

Well that’s a new one

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 29 points 1 year ago
[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah well that explains why everyone who visits the city tries to destroy it. Wait, what do you mean they don't?

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social -2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

That's as ridiculous as saying that because not everyone who eats spoiled food gets ill, no one that eats spoiled food gets ill.. 🤦‍♀️

People are different. 🤯

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah so it's not everyone but still common?

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

Obviously common enough to have a disorder named after it.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 58 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Go fuck yourself, Nick. Can we just shove all the religious zealots onto an island and laugh as they rip each other to shreds?

[–] similideano@sopuli.xyz 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sadly, that would have to be one huge island.

[–] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Something like North America

[–] Kidplayer_666@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

We’d also need a big peninsula. Like the middle east

[–] Peaty@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Which is peskily not much of an island

[–] MelastSB@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The Panama canal made it an island, although it will be a poor defense against the theistic hordes

[–] Peaty@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

That's why Im saying it isn't much of one.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Ooh, a new Snake Pliskin movie!

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

That sounds like a ring of hell

[–] Wrench@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

That's... kind of Isreal / Jerusalem. Just not an island

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world -1 points 1 year ago

Please include lawyers and I'm all in.

[–] AlmightySnoo@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The man’s lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that he had acted out of religious fanaticism.

Can't you just pick one thing? smh

[–] detectivesniffles@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

the best prosecutor is usually the defendant

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

Just another American religious nutcase. The only surprise here is that he is not an evangelical nut job for a change.

[–] thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Athena and Athens by proxy are probably older then the Torah, jackass. Shesh some people are just fucking idiots.

Anyways, the Athena imagery from the ancient times is always so cool. She was one of the gods that actually looked out of the people, why would you want to destroy something dedicated to her?

[–] Peaty@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago

Arachne and Medusa says WTF do you mean Athena looked out for people? Athena was petty AF

[–] xePBMg9@lemmynsfw.com 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I hope he gets to pay a badrillion dollar or they make him in to an art piece or something.

Why is there no pictures of the statues?

[–] totallynotarobot@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

New display at the museum: Vandal in Carbonite; mixed media, 2023

[–] Virkkunen@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Why is there no pictures of the statues?

Because they were smashed, silly

[–] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Lel, still salty about Titus & Hadrian I see.

[–] greaterthanstupid@dmv.social 3 points 1 year ago (8 children)

why are they always Americans? if i ever travel abroad, I'm gonna say I'm Canadian. Heck, I'm already a Habs fan, I say 'eh' in conversation, and drink Tim Hortons coffee, I'm halfway there!

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like the religious fanatic part is more relevant than the nationality

[–] greaterthanstupid@dmv.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

you'd think that, but they didn't say 'a jewish man' or 'a jew', or just 'a man', and they mentioned another American who did the same thing. So Nationality matters.

[–] wahming@monyet.cc 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You might want to reread the article, and how it's specifically noted they suspect the cause to be fanaticism. Also, all the other cases mentioned were perpetrated by Jews as well, and the context hints that it's due to the ultra conservative faction.

[–] MindSkipperBro12@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

It only hints while the nationality is always front and center. For better or for worse.

[–] thecrotch@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

It's not always Americans, for example the kid who cut down the tree at Hadrian's wall last week was English.

[–] dudewitbow@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 year ago

Its because of where you hear news.

For instance, if you got japanese news and hear which tourists destroy shrines for instance, its usually asian tourists.

[–] monsterlynn@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

@greaterthanstupid ISIL bulldozed and dynamited World Heritage sites to rubble. The Taliban blew up the Bamiyan Buddahs. It's not always Americans.

@MicroWave

[–] MindSkipperBro12@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

ISIS, now that’s a name that I haven’t heard in a very long time…

[–] havokdj@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah I mean, that's generally what terrorist organizations do.

We're referring to a single man here lol

[–] BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I honestly hardly ever meet american tourists that are rude or behaving "wrong". I met one old maga guy some time ago that lost his shit when no one spoke american in a super remote petrol station in the middle of Switzerland, and i refused to talk to him.
Pretty much everyone else was almost too nice. If you want to generalize really bad behaving tourists, i would look in the direction of china.

[–] Wrench@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

As an American international traveler, that's great to hear! I don't know why, but I'm still pleasantly surprised when I'm warmly accepted.

There's usually a bit of a quiz on politics first. Like a "is this one of the rabid ones?" kind of side eye. But that's cleared up quickly.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago

Make sure you comment how awful the Tim's is, lest you get found out as a fake canadian

[–] zephyreks@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

America doesn't practice secularism basically at all. As a result, religious fanaticism plays a huge role in American politics and thus American mentality.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem.

Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist and said initial questioning suggested he smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

Museum photos showed the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments.

The Israeli government expressed alarm over the defacement, which officials also attributed to Jewish iconoclasm in obedience to early prohibitions against idolatry.

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

On Friday morning, about 16 hours after the defacement at the museum, the doors opened to the public at the regularly scheduled time.


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