(JTA) — Recently installed signs pointing the way to Jewish cemeteries in two Polish towns were stolen.
The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland erected the markers June 17 on the access roads to the Biala Rawska and Rawa Mazowiecka cemeteries. The markers were placed as part of a larger program to commemorate Jewish cemeteries throughout Poland carried out by the private Michael Traison Fund for Poland in cooperation with the foundation.
The signs were large, castiron markers that incorporated a Star of David.
In Rawa Mazowiecka, the marker disappeared three days after its dedication. The one in Biala Rawska was discovered missing on Monday.
The thefts could jeopardize plans to mark other cemeteries, the foundation said.
Police said the thefts appeared not to be the result of anti-Semitism, but rather the work of increasingly active "junk thieves" who steal metal objects to sell for scrap. Last month in Warsaw, for example, metal crosses were stolen from graves in a military cemetery.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
