Several graves at a Jewish cemetery in the US state of Ohio were vandalised with swastika graffiti, according to the local Jewish federation. The headstones were found spray painted with red swastikas at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery on Ridge Road in the city of Cleveland, Fox News reported.
The local community said it was “absolutely sickening” that anyone could have so much hate for the Jewish people that they would desecrate a cemetery. “This cowardly act to violate the memory of our elders only confirms what we already know: the hatred of the Jewish community here and around the world now is at a level not seen in generations,” the Jewish Federation of Cleveland wrote on its X page.
Thank you to the approximately 20 people who took it upon themselves to remove the graffiti discovered at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery today. The photos below are from members of Suburban Temple-Kol Ami who have a loved one buried there and shared these photos. #jewishcleveland pic.twitter.com/OAgzBnPsYJ— Jewish Cleveland (@jewishcleveland) November 12, 2023
“We will support law enforcement in any way we can to see that those who are responsible face the consequences of their actions. We will restore the damage of the cemetery and return the dignity to the damaged gravesites. And we will continue combat hate against all communities with an unbending resolve,” it added.
A few hours later, around 20 people cleaned up the graffiti at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, which the local federation hailed as “proof of the strength” of the Jewish community and the unwavering commitment to one another that connects them.
This comes as antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by about 400 percent in slightly over two weeks since war broke out in the Middle East after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Last month, the advocacy group Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) data showed a 388 percent rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23 over the prior year.
(With agency inputs)