Sculpture Garden of Artist Yigal Tumarkin Vandalized; Son Blames Soccer Fans

Yoon Tumarkin discovered the vandalism at his father, artist Yigal Tumarkin's, sculpture garden near Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv this week. He found graffiti on the sculptures and stickers on the entrance sign, including on a picture of his father. Tumarkin, who lives in Jaffa, posted images of the damage on social media and attributed the act to Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans, noting that some graffiti referenced soccer and contained anti-Hapoel messages. He believes the incident occurred after a recent game and is unsure if there is any footage of the perpetrators. One of the damaged works reportedly deals with the Holocaust. Tumarkin described the vandalism as "violence in every sense" and "shocking," stating he doesn't recall a similar incident at the garden, especially not on this scale. He connected the event to the current atmosphere in Israel, citing "toxic discourse" and "violence." He expressed anger, disappointment, and concern, urging for action to prevent future occurrences. Tumarkin tagged Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Education, and the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality in his social media posts. He hopes relevant authorities will not only repair the damage but also implement educational measures. He emphasized his father's desire to make his art accessible to the public through the garden, which he envisioned as a place for families and children to encounter art as part of city life.