(JTA) — Vandals defaced a Holocaust memorial at the Jewish cemetery in a town in southwestern Poland.
According to The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, unknown vandals threw white paint over the commemorative plaque affixed to the monument at the cemetery in Klodzko sometime last week.
"Incidents like this undermine all good things happening in Polish-Jewish relations," said Monika Krawczyk, the foundation’s CEO.
The foundation, which deals with the restitution and preservation of Jewish cemeteries, synagogues and other property, said the damage was "even more regrettable considering the fact that the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland for years has efficiently cooperated with local volunteers for the upkeep of the Klodzko Jewish cemetery."
According to the foundation, this was the latest in a series of incidents in recent weeks at Jewish cemeteries. In Izbica, unknown persons set fire to a large tree at the local Jewish cemetery, and in Leczna, where local volunteers have been working to clean up the cemetery, unknown persons dumped a load of trash on the grounds.
Meanwhile, two youths were detained in Opole for allegedly damaging more than 20 tombstones in the Jewish cemetery there, which had undergone restoration in 2005.
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