“A Swiss guard spat at me and another Jewish woman”: the complaint of Israeli writer Michal Govrin
“The Jews!” he uttered with contempt, then spat upon leaving a conference at the Holy See. “We were shocked. An incident like this in the Vatican? A frank expression of hatred toward Jews, in stark contrast to the Pope’s words the night before.”
Israeli writer Michal Govrin has recounted being the victim of an anti-Semitic incident in the Vatican, along with another Jewish woman, by a Swiss Guard. Last week, the two were in the Vatican to attend a conference on “Nostra Aetate ” (one of the Second Vatican Council documents on relations between the Catholic Church and non-Christian religions), Govrin told the Austrian church newspaper Kathpress . As they were leaving, a Swiss Guard reportedly looked at them and dismissively called them ” Les juifs ,” meaning “the Jews.” “We were completely shocked,” Govrin explained. “An incident like this in the Vatican? A frank expression of hatred toward Jews, in stark contrast to the Pope’s words the night before.”
“A Swiss Guard Spat on Us”: The Story
The two were accompanied by a third companion—also Jewish—who approached the guard, asking if he had really said those words. He allegedly denied it and, after being questioned about why he was lying, spat in their direction. Govrin explained that he had reported the matter to the authorities. The Swiss Guard announced that it had opened an investigation, while the Swiss Embassy to the Holy See confirmed that it had “taken note of the accusations and is in contact with the Pontifical Swiss Guard.” “But the incident has left its mark,” Govrin stated .
Who is Michal Govrin ?
Israeli writer, poet, and theater director Michal Govrin was born and raised in Tel Aviv, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. Her father was a pioneer of the Third Aliyah (the third wave of modern Jewish immigration to Palestine) and one of the founders of Kibbutz Tel Yosef. Govrin served in the Israel Defense Forces ( IDF ) as a military reporter. She graduated from the Department of Comparative Literature and Theater at Tel Aviv University and went on to earn her PhD in Theater and Religious Studies at the University of Paris VIII. Her research, “Contemporary Sacred Theater, Theory and Practice ,” examines the theatrical aspects of Jewish mystical practices. She is considered one of Israel’s most renowned intellectual voices and teaches at the Jerusalem School for Visual Theater. Her novel, ” Strandliebe ,” was published in 2023
