Christian Cemetery Near Jerusalem Vandalized
Image by Malgorzata Ploszaj/virtual sztetl
(JTA) — Several tombstones and crucibles were vandalized at a Christian cemetery and monastery near Beth Shemesh, west of Jerusalem.
Monks on Sunday discovered the vandalism, including the toppling of tombstones and smashing of tombs, Antonio Scudo, an Italian monk from the Bait Jimal Salesian monastery, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Some 30 graves were vandalized in total.
A police forensic team is investigating the desecration of the cemetery. Police do not have suspects in custody.
A popular pilgrimage and tourism site, Bait Jimal has been vandalized several times.
Vandals desecrated the cemetery in 1981 and 2015. In 2013, a firebomb was thrown at the church causing minor damage, and the words “price tag” were spray painted on a wall. In 2017, vandals shattered stained-glass windows, destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary, and damaged furniture, the Post reported.
Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid opposition party, condemned the attack on church property. “Harm done to cemeteries is a despicable act, and must not pass without widespread condemnation when it is carried out in Israel.”
Archaeologists identify Bait Jimal as the village of Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, a leading rabbinical authority in the Sanhedrin in the early 1st century and the grandson of the Mishnaic sage Hillel, the Post noted.
St. Stephen, a disciple of Jesus, is believed to be buried in a cave at the monastery.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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 still need 300 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.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
