Vandals Destroy Jewish Graves in Croatia

By JTA April 25, 2014

Vandals seriously damaged several graves in a more than 400-year-old Jewish cemetery in Split, Croatia.

According to Ana Lebl, the president of the Jewish community in Split, unknown persons forced open three graves and also damaged their headstones and fences. In addition, they knocked over and broke a fourth headstone and damaged other tombstone decoration.

The attack took place between April 10 and April 13, Lebl said, but the vandals left no graffiti or slogans that pointed to an anti-Semitic motive for the attack.

“The damage was reported to the police who came promptly and made written and photographic evidence,” she said.

The cemetery, located above the city on Marjan Hill, was founded in 1573 and in use until 1945. It is listed as a cultural heritage monument.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO