#jewishcemetery — Public Fediverse posts

#FuneralFactFriday: Cemetery vandalism is unfortunately still a “thing”

Based on a casual study done by Oak and Laurel Cemetery Preservation, there were 184 news reports in 2016 alone describing the destruction of 1,811+ grave markers (costing at least $488,000). The study was based on relevant news stories (as there is no formal database collecting official crime statistics on cemetery vandalism), so the actual numbers are presumed to be much higher.

In 2017, the numbers reflected 105 reported incidents, but with 2,353 gravestones affected, totaling an estimated $1,766,000 in damages.

Cemeteries are vandalism targets for several reasons. Some instances are petty crimes committed by idiotic adolescents either joyriding or expressing their teenage angst, and some are adults stealing metal markers to sell as scrap.

Other instances are racially or politically motivated. Anti-semites still desecrate Jewish graves by toppling headstones and spray painting swastikas to this day.

"Attacking a cemetery, especially one that is all-Jewish, all-Catholic, or whatever it is, is basically an attack on the culture, the identity of the people that cemetery represents."
- Aaron Breitbart, researcher at the Simon Wiesenthal Center

Jews have a long history of being targets for desecration, with vandalization of their stores and synagogues in addition to their cemeteries. The acts of prejudice and intimidation predated the events of World War II. This is a longstanding issue, and sadly still present in our society today.

Read “The Year in Cemetery Vandalism: 2016” (the psychology of vandalism) at: http://www.oakandlaurel.com/blog/the-year-in-cemetery-vandalism-2016

And their 2017 report here: http://www.oakandlaurel.com/blog/the-year-in-cemetery-vandalism-2017

#HisAndHearsePress #FuneralFactFriday #Cemetery #Vandalism #Antisemitism #OakAndLaurelCemeteryPreservation #Funeral #Gravestone #Jewish #JewishCemetery