Jewish cemetery in Ukraine desecrated by antisemitic vandalism
A number of headstones have been vandalised at a Jewish cemetery in Ukraine.
The vandalism in Malyn, a town located some 60 miles north-west of the capital Kyiv, follows similar desecrations last month at Jewish cemeteries in neighbouring Moldova and Hungary.
According to a Facebook post by a local fundraiser for cemetery renovations in Malyn, the vandalism was discovered last week. It is understood that police currently have no leads in their attempt to identify the culprits.
One of the headstones smashed was a new marble memorial for a Jewish couple who both died more than 50 years ago. Portraits of the couple and a Star of David were also smashed. The perpetrators climbed into fenced burial plots to smash headstones as well.
In 2012, the Council of Europe placed responsibility for the care of Jewish cemeteries on national governments. The non-binding resolution followed a report that pointed out that Jewish cemeteries were more vulnerable than other similar sites. In addition to vandalism – often motivated by antisemitism – the report noted instances of cemeteries in Eastern Europe that had been turned into “public gardens, leisure parks, army grounds and storage sites.”
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