Vandals Have Attacked a Jewish Cemetery in Missouri, Toppling Scores of Tombstones
More
than 100 headstones were damaged or toppled in a historic Jewish
cemetery in University City, Missouri on Monday, in what local reports
say was likely an act of vandalism carried out by an organized group.
The
Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery was established in the St. Louis suburb of
University City in 1893, and is a well-known and sacred memorial ground
among the local Jewish population and other members of the community.
The incident follows a new round of bomb threats at Jewish community centers across the country. It’s the fourth time this year that multiple Jewish institutions have received threats in tandem, causing alarm over what some say is a rise of antisemitism in the U.S.
When
a Jewish reporter asked Trump last week about a perceived “uptick in
anti-Semitism,” the President criticized the reporter for asking an
“unfair question.”
Source: Time
According to Fox2 St. Louis, police will not say whether it is being pursued as a hate crime.
“It’s
extraordinarily sad, I know people who are buried there,” said Karen
Aroesty, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, speaking
to Fox2.
“Enough
already. This is where your loved ones come to be safe in perpetuity,
and the level of tension in the Jewish community is pretty high.”
.@KPLR11 @FOX2now broke story: toppled Headstones-Jewish Cem in StL: same day as US #antiSemitic bomb threats,vid: https://t.co/viZlGLGxFE pic.twitter.com/soARcE4EV3
— Andy Banker (@andybankertv) February 20, 2017
The incident follows a new round of bomb threats at Jewish community centers across the country. It’s the fourth time this year that multiple Jewish institutions have received threats in tandem, causing alarm over what some say is a rise of antisemitism in the U.S.
Some
Jewish community leaders argue that the failure of President Donald
Trump's administration to explicitly denounce antisemitism is a factor.
"Racism and anti-Semitism have become more socially acceptable now,” Rabbi Barry Leff of Birmingham, Alabama told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Source: Time
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