I was curious enough to translate the words chiseled into the monument with the star of David. For those who may be interested it reads:
The holy memory of Maurizio Wax, Victim of Nazi hatred. His wife and children were denied the only comfort of crying on his grave. This is a memorial of an immense asset lost. Hope for a better life as a prize for so much martyrdom.
January 1874 - January 1944
I'm sure there is a very sad story connected to that monument.
These two are on the Cathedral (Duomo) in Pisa. Recycling materials from older buildings, and sometimes if you defeat and sack another city you knock down a few of their monuments or buildings and cart the material home for reuse. I suspect putting in the inscriptions upside down or sideways may have been a deliberate thumbing of the nose at the vanquished.