New York State Police enlist public’s help to find cemetery vandals

The attack of spray-painted graffiti in suburban Warwick occurred just days before the observance of Yom Kippur.

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(JTA) — The New York State Police have called on the public to help find the vandals who defaced a Jewish cemetery with anti-Semitic graffiti.

The brick wall surrounding the Beth Shalom Cemetery in Warwick, a suburban town located about 90 minutes north of Manhattan, was vandalized with black spray-paint including the words “Heil Hitler,” swastikas and SS lightning bolts. The attack occurred in October, just days before the observance of Yom Kippur.

A Catholic cemetery across the street owned by Temple Beth Shalom of the Village of Florida was not vandalized.

Both state police and Town of Warwick police are investigating the vandalism, the Times Herald-Record newspaper reported. The police have put out a call in the local media for assistance, including publicizing the numbers for their tip lines.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.

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