Vandals desecrate Jewish graves, synagogues in St. Petersburg

Israel Insider ^ | December 18, 2004 | Associated Press

[yonif]

Vandals defiled a Jewish cemetery in St. Petersburg for the second time this year, scrawling swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti on 30 graves and a synagogue, Jewish leaders said Friday.

Mark Grubarg, head of St. Petersburg Jewish Community, called on police to do more to protect the cemetery, where people found "Jews Get Out of the Country!", "Long Live Holocaust!" and "Heil Hitler!" scrawled on the synagogue. Graves were covered with swastikas and Nazi SS signs.

"This is the worst thing to defile something sacred, the history. And it's so low to fight the dead," Grubarg said.

The cemetery was also vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti in February.

Grubarg said the incident flies in the face of President Vladimir Putin's calls to prevent any sort of extremism or intolerance in Russia.

"Such actions present a big danger for such a multinational state as Russia," he said.

Vandalism of Jewish sites in Russia has become more frequent in recent years, Jewish leaders say.

Anti-Semitic acts, including violence, are occasionally reported, but top Jewish leaders have largely praised the efforts of Putin's government in encouraging religious tolerance.

[satchmodog9]

The new left and the morons who call themselves anarchists are the reincarnation of antisemitism. The Jews are made out to be the leaders of global conspiracies, the center of corporate corruption and the evil driving force behind the news media. It is more prominent in Europe, but it happens here as well. They have all of their crazy theories with no proof or basis so they pick Jewry as their uniting evil and the focus of their hate. They are no better then the morons who blindly followed the Nazis in the 30's and 40's. They are worse because we should know better by now.

[BrooklynGOP]

Speaking of Nazis. The tombstone in the photo says: "Pevzner Mihail Abramovitch 1882-1942 died during the blockade"

The "blockade", ofcourse, refers to the 900 day siege of Leningrand (St.Petersburg) by the Nazis in WW2. In just two months, January and February of 1942, 200,000 people died in Leningrad of cold and starvation. - source.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[xJones]

"Jews Get Out of the Country!", "Long Live Holocaust!" and "Heil Hitler!" scrawled on the synagogue. Graves were covered with swastikas and Nazi SS signs.

Descrecrating graves should be punishable by long prison sentences, because of the grotesque nature of the crime. I have trouble believing, though, it was ethnic Russians in the city formerly named Leningrad that did this. A Russian in Leningrad/St.Petersburg heiling Hitler, and painting the hated swastikas?!

And just speaking objectively, the phrases are about as stereotyped as Tawana Brawley's "KKK, N*gger" attempt.

But I can't imagine Jews violating Jewish graves, so is there sizable Muslim community in St. Petersburg?

[desherwood7]

You are right in everything you say. The principal belief among the new left of the 21st century is that the eradication of the Jews will bring about world peace. And unfortunately, Your Young People are the main subscribers to this theory.