January 5, 2026 
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Years ago, during an interview with Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, a striking question was posed: What should be done if a swastika is found scrawled on the wall of a synagogue or dormitory?
Rabbi Lau’s answer was unexpected—and deeply powerful. He said he would not erase it. Instead, he would add to it.
Next to the swastika, he would draw an equal sign and write one word: Failure. Then, beside it, he would place a Star of David, add another equal sign, and write: Success. And he would leave it there.
The message was clear. Hate does not deserve panic or fear. It deserves to be exposed for what it is—weak, empty, and historically defeated. Jewish identity, survival, and values, on the other hand, are living proof of resilience and continuity.
Rabbi Lau’s response reframes antisemitism not as something that defines Jews, but as something that reveals the bankruptcy of those who propagate it. The vandal’s symbol becomes a teaching tool. The wall becomes a classroom. And the insult becomes a reminder: hatred has always failed, and Jewish life has always endured.
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