The head of the Moscow branch of the Jewish Agency urged Russian authorities on Thursday to crack down on anti-Semitism after vandals painted swastikas on a fence in front of their office.

"There is a swastika painted in black paint and offensive drawings around the Star of David," Chaim Benyakov said.

"We believe that anti-Semitism is present in Russia and we expect from the Russian authorities a completely unequivocal condemnation of these things and for them to combat it."

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Rising xenophobia and anti-Semitism are among many serious problems modern Russia faces. Dark-skinned migrant workers and tourists have come under attacks by racist groups.

Vandals attack Berlin 'Platform 17' Holocaust memorial

A Holocaust memorial at a Berlin train station where tens of thousands of Jews were once shipped to Nazi concentration camps was vandalized overnight, police said Wednesday.

Several candles near the train tracks at Grunewald station had been knocked over, and an Israeli flag was burned, Berlin police said in a statement. Such acts are considered crimes in Germany.

The Grunewald memorial is called "Platform 17," commemorating the more than 50,000 Jews transported from the station to concentration camps.