Holocaust survivor ordered to leave Spanish museum following harassment, told to hide Jewish symbols

Several visitors reacted angrily and shouted insults at the Jews, including accusations that they were “crazy child killers.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Three elderly Israeli women, one of them a Holocaust survivor, were escorted out of Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía on February 14 after other visitors verbally confronted them for visibly identifying as Jewish, according to the Spanish news outlet Okdiario.

Okdiario reported that tensions began when museumgoers noticed the women carrying a small Israeli flag and wearing a Star of David necklace.

Several visitors reacted angrily and shouted insults at the women, including accusations that they were “crazy child killers.”

Rather than removing those who initiated the harassment, museum staff instructed security personnel to escort the Israeli women out of the building.

During the exchange, a security guard told the women they had to leave because “some visitors were disturbed that they are Jewish,” according to accounts of the incident.

The guard also instructed them to hide their Jewish symbols, saying such items could not be displayed inside the museum.

The women were accompanied by a Spanish companion who disputed that claim.

She argued that Spanish law permits the wearing of religious symbols and the carrying of national flags in public institutions, and said the women had not violated any museum rules.

“It is unacceptable for someone to be punished in this way without having broken any law, in an official institution supported by the Spanish government,” she later said.

The Reina Sofía operates under Spain’s Culture Ministry and is one of the country’s most prominent state-affiliated cultural institutions.

During the Israel-Hamas war, the museum presented an exhibition titled “From the River to the Sea” in solidarity with Palestinians and has also hosted anti-Israel demonstrations.

No action was reported against those who allegedly shouted insults or initiated the confrontation.

The museum has not publicly detailed any disciplinary measures taken against the visitors who allegedly shouted insults at the women.