A statue in Prague that long has upset Jews was defaced.
The Crucifix and Calvary features a metal crucifix erected in 1657 with lead figures of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist that were added in the mid-19th century.
In 1696 a Prague Jew, Elias Backoffen, was forced to pay for the inscription, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts” on the statue in Hebrew as an ode to Christ.
The inscription was meant to punish Backoffen, who had been accused of debasing the Cross — by refusing to bow to it, according to some reports.
After complaints about the Hebrew text from rabbis around the world, Mayor Jan Kasl had an explanation of the text’s history placed under the statue in 2000.
Prague police said damage to the statue, which stands on Charles Bridge, was not costly, though part of the Hebrew inscription was destroyed.
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