DETROIT (WWJ) - Graffiti reading "Free Palestine" showed up on a Jewish organization sponsored billboard calling out antisemitism on I-75 in Detroit this week, prompting a social media storm and backlash from local Jewish leaders.
As reported by FOX 2, a Palestinian flag was also spray-painted next to the graffiti on the billboard sponsored by the nonprofit organization, JewBelong, that provides support for Jewish-identified people.
Photos of the billboard first appeared on the Instagram page of TCD Dearborn News which opened a floodgate of comments and reactions -- it has since been removed, but images of the post are available to view here.
The billboard said: "We’re just 78 years since the gas chambers. So no, a billboard calling out Jew hate isn’t an overreaction."
No mention of the Israel–Hamas War was made on the Detroit sign until the graffiti appeared. As of Wednesday, the spray-painted message mentioning Palestine was no longer visible.
Rabbi Asher Lopatin, a prominent leader in Metro Detroit's Jewish community, condemned the graffiti, telling FOX 2 that "to degrade, to graffiti a poster, a billboard about the holocaust is just unacceptable."
Asher went on to say that people must learn to have disagreements in a "civil and respectful way," no matter what side of an issue they're on.
Tagging a billboard highlighting the autocracies suffered by the Jewish people during WWII is not one of those ways, he argued.
"People have disagreements about Gaza and the war and everything. So, put up your own billboard if you want that expresses your opinion," Asher continued. "But let’s show some show some civility. Let’s show, certainly, some sensitivity to the holocaust, to the Jewish community that has suffered so much."
The incident in Detroit isn't the first case of graffiti showing up on Jewish sponsored billboards in the U.S. In Louisville, Kentucky, a tagged billboard was visible traveling south on I-65 at Arthur Street in downtown on January 29, 2024.
JewBelong did not respond to a request for comment from FOX 2. Outfront Media, who hosts the billboards, also haven't commented on the incident.
As stated on their website, organizers for JewBelong state the created the billboards -- along with their signature pink and white trucks, website and social media presence -- to raise awareness and confront antisemitism.
"These days, antisemitism is growing, and well, it can be hard to be a Joyous Jew when there’s a target on your back. That’s why we’re raising awareness about the problem!" organizers said. "... this loud and proud message is starting important conversations, creating excitement in the Jewish community, and garnering mainstream media attention."