Delia Marc

Jewish cemetery in Bucharest desecrated


Local Jewish resident discovers extensive destruction at graveyard, but police says perpetrators were children

Attila Somfalvi
Published:
02.13.07, 23:30 / Israel News

Unknown perpetrators defiled dozens of graves and headstones at the great Jewish cemetery (Cimitirul Mozaic) in the Romania capital Bucharest.

Dalya Mark, a Jewish resident of the capital, discovered the devastation on Sunday, upon her arrival at the place.


Defiled graveyard (Photo: Dalya Mark)
"When I arrived at the cemetery's area I saw two policemen, the cemetery's director, and the workers who discovered the damage. I saw iron bars scattered in several places. These were probably used to desecrate the graves," she described.

Mark said that some of the headstones were pulled down and some of the graves dug out. "There was a terrible stench of decay in the air," she said. However, according to Mark, no anti-Semitic marks were found at the graveyard.

The Bucharest police confirmed the fact that "irregular acts have taken place at the cemetery in town," but officials said the damage was caused by children and was not part of an organized anti-Semitic activity.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3364863,00.html