Police experts in explosives began an intensive investigation today to find the person who damaged Sculptor Herman Wald’s massive memorial to martyred European Jews in Johanneshurg’s Westpark Jewish Cemetery with a dynamite blast.
The vandalism apparently was connected with a telephone call yesterday to the Johannesburg “Star,” from a man who said “I am Adolf Eichmann, see me in Westpark Cemetery.” The blast destroyed the Ner Tamid which lights up the sculptured phrase “Lo Tirzach” (“Thou Shalt Not Kill”) but did not wreck the monument which was apparently the objective of the dynamiter.
The dynamiting, which was discovered today, apparently was done early yesterday. Caretaker Jay Friedland told police he heard a noise then but he thought it was a door slamming in the wind. Damage was estimated at about $700.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
