Dozens of headstones knocked over at Jewish cemetery in Philly

The Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia became the second Jewish burial ground in the USA to be desecrated inside of a week overnight on Saturday.

The Philadelphia ADL has offered a $10,000 Reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the incident.

The police said the vandals had knocked over approximately 100 headstones.

“It’s certainly heartening that so many good people around the country who are not members of the Jewish community are standing up and speaking out against this and offering assistance”, she said. “I mean, it’s just disgusting”. “His way of responding was to go row by row and count, and he’s counted over 500 tombstones”.

Philadelphia Police have called the incident “an abominable crime that appears to target these particular headstones”, but would not yet classify it as a hate crime or a specifically anti-Jewish act. By the end of 24 hours, the page “Muslims Unite to Repair Jewish Cemetery” had raised $80,000. “I immediately thought of my own family….” It is the latest Jewish grave site to be targeted.

Vandals overturned almost 200 headstones there. The reality for many like Mark Weissman of Frankford is their loved ones’ tombstones have been damaged.

Dozens of headstones at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia were vandalized over the weekend. The launchgood drive started by Linda Sarsour and Tarek El-Messidi had brought more than $45,000 as of Tuesday evening.

“Our community definitely feels threatened”, Adler said.

Rabbi Simcha Zevit, Shawn’s wife and rabbi of Narbeth Havurah in Narbeth, Pa., agreed and said the strength of the community is what most people are walking away with from this incident.

Meanwhile, people from around the world with relatives buried in the cemetery tried to contact cemetery staff and reporters to find out if their loved one’s tomb had been desecrated.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon tweeted a statement calling the cemetery desecration “shocking and a source of worry”. Bob Casey, also released statements on Twitter.

Damage to headstones is covered, in most cases, by the family’s homeowner insurance; it is also insured by the cemetery, usually in case of natural disaster.

“This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms”, he said.

John Dougherty of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council calls the vandalism a “cowardly act of anti-Semitism that can not be tolerated”.

“We do not yet know who is responsible, but we do know this: this vandalism was a cowardly act”. “Members of our community must see swift and concerted action from federal officials to identify and capture the perpetrator or perpetrators who are trying to instil anxiety and fear in our communities”. It’s unclear how much repairs will cost. Tarek El-Messidi, a Muslim man in Philadelphia, helped raise $120,000 to fix the Missouri resting place in an act of solidarity with the Jewish community. Hate is not permissible in Philadelphia. “And I’ve been speaking to some of the rabbis at the cemetery that showed up… and I’ve told them that we Muslims will help again”.