The remains of a dead boar left at the Chabad of Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, north of Paris, France. Photo: SPCJ.

JNS.org – A pig’s head was sent to a major synagogue in Rome as well as to other Jewish-affiliated sites in an apparent anti-Semitic incident targeting the city’s Jewish community.

According to reports, a pig’s head in a box was delivered to Rome’s Grand Synagogue on Friday ahead of Shabbat and to the Israeli Embassy and the Museum of Rome, which is featuring an exhibit on the Holocaust. Additionally, anti-Semitic graffiti was found on the walls of a municipal building in Rome.

The incident comes just days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The leader of Italy’s Jewish Community, Renzo Gattegna called the incident “repugnant” and “barbaric,” comparing it to mafia-style messages.

“They wanted to attack the religion, culture and Jewish history. They are cowards,” he said.

Lisa Palmieri-Billig, AJC’s representative in Italy and Liaison to the Holy See, said, “The consequences of indifference towards such acts, as history teaches us, can lead to a serious degeneration of peaceful coexistence, and of the democratic fabric of society.”