Dozens of graves in Europe's oldest Jewish cemetery vandalized, desecrated
It is currently estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 gravestones were vandalized, including the grave of the Maharam of Rothenburg
Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog urged German authorities to find the perpetrators of the vandalism and repair the damage caused in a letter to Germany's Ambassador to Israel, Susanne Wasum-Rainer, on Monday.
"I have learned with dismay and consternation that the Heiliger Sand Jewish cemetery in Worms, one the oldest in Europe, has been desecrated and vandalized," wrote Herzog. "This testament to a millennium of Jewish life in German lands has been the target of a vile hate crime at a time when rising antisemitism is a shared preoccupation in many countries. I know very well how vigilant and aware German authorities are to this wave of racist hate which has found in the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus a new pretext to reshape and renew old forms of anti-Jewish conspiracies and libels."
"The relations between our countries and our civil societies, exceptional and intimate on so many levels, are dear to my heart and you know how much I value the multi-partisan friendship of your government. It is as a sincere friend, therefore, that I urge German authorities to bring to justice those responsible for this hate crime and to restore the damage wrought on the cemetery. I would welcome your immediate intervention on this issue," added Herzog.