Chief Rabbi’s horror at ‘shameful’ vandalism of Christian cemetery
Two individuals, one of whom was visibly Jewish, filmed desecrating tombstones at the Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem
Security cameras caught two people vandalising tombstones at a Christian cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem on Tuesday, causing the UK Chief Rabbi to issue a harsh condemnation.
The cemetery contains the graves of 77 military individuals, as well as the former Bishop of Jerusalem, Samuel Gobat.
“This shameful vandalism is a disgraceful desecration for which I hope the perpetrators will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Rabbi Mirvis said.
The two individuals, one of whom was visibly Jewish, smashed more than 30 tombstones at the Protestant cemetery, which was built in 1848.
The president of the Board of Deputies, Marie van der Zyl, issued a similar statement in a letter to Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely: “The desecration of graves has huge historical resonance and is a desecration of God’s name and it is deeply troubling to see this occur in the State of Israel. Under Israel’s Declaration of Independence, freedom of religion is guaranteed for all religious minority communities and it is important that Israel remains an inclusive society that respects all its citizens and a beacon of religious tolerance in the Middle East”
“We are pleased that this was swiftly condemned by the Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we similarly condemn these criminal acts. We hope to see the perpetrators of these crimes brought to justice swiftly as a sign to others that these criminal acts are not acceptable within the State of Israel,” the letter concluded.
The desecration was also condemned by the British Consulate in Jerusalem which said: “The UK is dismayed at the attack on the Jerusalem Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion. This is the latest in a string of attacks against Christians and their property in and around the Old City. The perpetrators of religiously motivated attacks should be held accountable.”
A similar act of vandalism against a Christian cemetery took place in 2018. Israel’s Foreign Ministry then condemned the desecration of the cemetery of the Beit Jamal Monastery, calling it a “despicable act.”
Christian leaders in Jerusalem have warned about the threats against the community, while Palestinian Christians in the West Bank have warned that its community is seriously dwindling, with many of its members emigrating to other countries in search of a better life.
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