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France: Memorial and Cemetery Vandalised; Germany: Cemeteries Vandalised; Poland: Restoration Project with Prison Inmates Underway; UK: Cemetery Expansion Permit Granted |
Expansion of UK Jewish Cemetery Approved
August 15, 2010 – The Barnet planning inspector has approved expansion of the Edgwarebury Lane Jewish Cemetery. The decision was welcomed by Brian Coleman, Assembly member for Barnet and Camden. An initial application submitted by the Trustees of Belsize Square Synagogue had been rejected but the applicants appealed the decision, demonstrating that within three to five years maximum capacity of the burial site could be reached without an expansion of the gronds. Read the original article.
Two Jewish Cemeteries Vandalised in Germany
August 11, 2010 – Two Jewish cemeteries were desecrated in the German cities of Bremen and Aachen.
At the Hasted Jewish Cemetery in Bremen, vandals toppled twelve gravestones from the 1920s and 1930s, some of which sustained severe damage. The city’s co-mayors, who visited the site accompanied by representatives of the Jewish community, explained that the municipality would help the community pay for the restoration of the historic burial site.
In the city of Aachen, Nazi symbols and anti-Semitic slogans were painted on the wall of a local Jewish cemetery. The acts of vandalism were discovered on August 2. Read the original articles here and here.
French Deportation Monument Defaced
August 8, 2010 – A memorial for the Jews deported from Marmande in southwest France during the Holocaust was defaced in early August. The perpetrators used red paint to write ‘lies’, ‘Zionism’, ‘interests’ and a dollar sign on the monument. Brice Hortefeux, French Interior Minister, expressed ‘horror and sadness’ at the attacks. Read the original article.
Restoration of Jewish Cemeteries by Polish Inmates Underway
August 4, 2010 – As previously reported (Cemetery Watch June-July 2010), the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) and the Polish government have signed a co-operation agreement under which inmates of 85 Polish prisons will help restore Jewish heritage sites throughout the country. Recently, the first restoration works were carried out, accompanied by seminars and talks given by the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich and other members of the Jewish Community. According to the Chief Rabbi, the programme is already proving useful in helping participants challenge stereotypes that they may have about Jews.Read the original article.
Jewish Cemetery Vandalised in Eastern France
July 22, 2010 – 27 gravestones were vandalised at the Jewish cemetery in the Alsatian town of Wolfisheim. The police have launched an investigation. The umbrella organisation of Jewish organisations in France, CRIF, released a statement condemning the systematic destruction of part of the cemetery. Local and regional politicians also spoke out strongly against the crime which is the third desecration of Jewish or Muslim graves since the beginning of the year. Read the original article.
