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Jewish Sites Targeted by Vandals in Germany

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In a further sign of increasing anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, three Jewish sites were targeted by vandals during the past week.

On Tuesday, a Jewish cemetery near Bonn was reportedly desecrated by vandals who turned over 10 tombstones.

The desecration took place on the same day that a monument commemorating the deportation of Jews at the Anhalt train station in Berlin was badly vandalized.

It was the third case of vandalism to take place at the train station memorial in a week.

Five of the 16 sculptures which depicted deported Jews were totally destroyed as a result of the vandalism.

In another incident, a Jewish cemetery was desecrated last Friday in eastern Germany. Nazi slogans were smeared at the entrance to the cemetery in the town of Fuerstenwalde in the state of Brandenburg. A swastika was sprayed on a memorial plaque inside the cemetery.

No arrests were reported.

The number of anti-Semitic offenses registered by the German security authorities has more than doubled during the past year, compared with the previous year.

The annual report of the German Security Services recorded 1,366 anti-Semitic incidents in 1994, compared to 656 the prior year.

More than half of the cases recorded involved racist propaganda and anti-Jewish incitement. Sixty-five cases involved the desecration of Jewish cemeteries.

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