Jewish Gravestones Smashed at Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives
Gravestones were smashed, and trees and bushes set on fire in the Mount of Olives cemetery in eastern Jerusalem.
The vandalism was discovered after midnight on Wednesday morning, when reports of flames and smoke led firefighters to the scene, according to reports.
At least ten gravestones were smashed and also burnt, including that of Nathan Mileikowsky, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s grandfather.
The Fire Department confirmed that the fire was a deliberate act of arson.
Deputy Commander of the Police’s Jerusalem District, Brig.-Gen. Avshalom Peled, told Israeli lawmakers last month during a tour of the cemetery that over the next four years some 160 security cameras will be installed to protect the cemetery and that more police officers will be stationed there, Ynet reported. Though vandalism reportedly has declined as more security cameras are installed, it does continue on a regular basis.
The cemetery, on a hill above the Old City of Jerusalem, has about 150,000 graves, some up to 3,000 years old.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
