Europas största judiska begravningsplats,
Weissensee i Berlin, har återigen härjats
av vandaler. På den stora ytan i östra Berlin
har över 115.000 judar begravts sedan 1880.
Trots att anläggningen sedan Tysklands åter-
förening har ständig polisbevakning utsätts
begravningplatsen ofta för åverkan.
Under den islamistiska tredje intifadan 2009
krossades eller bemålades gravstenar ständigt.
I år misstänker polisen att det oftast handlar
om östeuropeiska metalltjuvar.
**
World Jewish Congress noterar en svag ökning
av antalet antisemitiska dåd i Tyskland i år:
In Germany, a slight rise in anti-Semitic crimes
has been noted in the second quarter of 2011,
according to the federal government.
From April to June, 215 incidents were registered
by police, including four acts of violence against
Jews and 41 cases of anti-Semitic hate propa-
ganda. Three victims were injured in attacks.
Five people were temporarily arrested and
criminal investigations opened against 106
persons. In the first quarter of 2011, a total
of 211 anti-Semitic crimes were registered
across Germany.
**
Meanwhile, vandals struck Europe's largest
Jewish cemetery in Berlin, stealing metal
objects from graves.
Vandals recently damaged 16 graves and
stole 47 items from Weißensee , located in
the former eastern part of the German capital.
Renovations on some of the tombs had been
completed as recently as last April.
The stolen items are worth about US$
16,000.
"However, the immaterial damage is much
greater," the Jewish Community said in a
statement on Monday.
"Theft in general is a serious offense," Grigory
Kristal, head of cultural affairs for the community,
was quoted by JTA as saying.
"But to destroy graves at the Jewish cemetery
demonstrates a lack of respect and lack of
understanding of the past."
