Police in Hyattsville, Md., a suburb of Washington, are investigating an attack by vandals on Mt. Lebanon Jewish Cemetery that resulted in damage to and desecration of 37 headstones.
Two of the larger headstones were broken in half. Empty beer cans were thrown about the cemetery grounds. Damage was estimated at $15,000. A previous vandal assault on the same cemetery took place on June 4, the eve of the Israel-Arab war, and cost about $19,000 to repair. Seventy-two headstones were then knocked down or defaced.
Authorities noted that the two desecrations of the Jewish cemetery occurred in a span of about three months, with no damage done to nearby non-sectarian and Christian cemeteries. This led to the conclusion that an anti-Semitic motive existed. The cemetery is one of the Washington area’s largest and serves a score of Jewish synagogues and fraternal organizations.
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