Four gravestones smashed at Jewish cemetery in South Africa
Third incident of vandalised Jewish headstones in South Africa in the last week causes concern in the local community
Four headstones were knocked over and smashed at a Jewish cemetery in suburban Cape Town.
It was the third incident of vandalised Jewish gravestones in South Africa in the last week, The Times South Africa reported.
In the latest episode, the vandalised headstones were discovered in Strand over the weekend.
Stuart Diamond, head of the Cape Jewish Board of Deputies, told the newspaper that the vandalism is not believed to have been an antisemitic act.
“I am concerned about antisocial behaviour becoming pervasive in our cemeteries, which we want to keep sacred. But I do not believe that this was a deliberately antisemitic act,” he said.
A police report was filed in the latest incident.
Israel Hayom reported Sunday that police fear the recent violence at the Jewish cemeteries is “the work of an active neo-Nazi cell.”
“These incidents, unfortunately, spread like wildfire and have become a global trend, and these are very serious incidents that must be stopped immediately before they kill Jews,” the deputy chairman of the World Zionist Organisation, Yaakov Hagoel, said in a statement, Israel Hayom reported.
“The South African police must stop these attackers, and it is the South African government’s responsibility to act accordingly against such incidents. If this is indeed the actions of a neo-Nazi cell, we must put an end to it, the sooner the better”
In December, 39 gravestones were vandalised in the Jewish cemetery in Wellington, near Cape Town, in an antisemitic attack.
The Cape SAJBD is aware of damage to four Jewish graves at the Strand Cemetery. Vandals who were sleeping in the…
פורסם על ידי Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies ב- יום ראשון, 23 ביוני 2019
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
