By: Talia Shligold
Sometime between December 17th and December 19th a Jewish cemetery in our backyard was vandalized. The perpetrators, who are yet unknown and quite possibly will never be found, toppled over an estimate of 200 tombstones and smeared them with graffiti in Washington cemetery that is located in Borough Park area in Brooklyn.
The authorities have not proclaimed this to be a hate crime while all the evidence are quite clear that that’s exactly what it was. This was no on the whim crime, this was a well thought out hate crime. The perpetrators chose a time to convict this crime during Sabbath, a time when there is no security and a traditional day for the Jewish people to rest. In other words the best time to find the cemetery devoid of any kind of human presence. The graffiti that was found on the tombstones had dollar signs all over them which is sadly a popular anti-Semitic slur when used in this kind of context. Even the location of the cemetery points to this being a thought out hate crime. As mentioned in the beginning, Washington cemetery is located in Borough Park area, an area that is full of vibrant Jewish presence. Most of the population there has family members who are buried in that cemetery or are Jews themselves. Most likely the criminals had to go out of their way to arrive at a very Jewish location.
I will also not fail to mention the 2 biggest grievances that I have heard from the family members whose loved ones are buried there. Where was the security? There should be security there 24 hours, 7 days a week. Vandals do not take time off and strike at the most opportune time, therefore one of the most sacred grounds has to be protected at all times. Not just protected but well protected, so that not one area of Washington cemetery is ever susceptible to such horrific vandalism. Another more alarming grievance is the lack of media coverage. Yes, the Jewish media devoted their time to expose this story, such as virtualjerusalem.com or theyeshivaworld.com and we’re very grateful. However the bigger newspapers that enjoy a much larger traffic on their sites and whose physical newspapers have a far greater reach, did not cover the story, or at best devoted a few lines to this hate crime. They definitely did not giving this story the exposure that it deserves. If these kind of anti-Semitic hate crimes continue to be ignored by the larger press than it can slowly become the norm as history has shown. Not to mention that apparently this has been the 2nd assault on this Jewish cemetery in 2 weeks.
Unfortunately attacks on Jewish cemeteries are not infrequent. A Chicago based Jewish cemetery was just vandalized by a 25 year old Polish immigrant/Neo-Nazi. He was able to topple over 499 tombstones and graffiti them with swastikas and other anti-Semitic slurs. One of the most aggravating parts of this incident is that this Neo-Nazi was able to get off with no jail time but rather community service. What a slap in the face to the Chicago based Jewish community!
Lastly, I would like to extend my condolences to all the Jewish families who have been affected by this hate crime. Luckily, the tombstones of my grandparents were left untouched. However I can just imagine the pain of those families who were touched by this despicable crime. We must stay together and strong as a community and help each other out first and foremost. We must remember to never take anti-Semitic crimes lightly. Take pride in our community!
Click here to view pictures provided by theyeshivaworld.com
