Rotterdam police are investigating after more than two dozen gravestones were pushed over last month at Free Jewish Cemetery — an act of vandalism that at least one local faith leader believes was driven by growing antisemitism

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Vandals Deface New York Jewish Cemetery

May 4, 2024

Rotterdam police are investigating after more than two dozen gravestones were pushed over last month at a Jewish cemetery — an act of vandalism that at least one local faith leader believes was driven by growing antisemitism.

The vandalism at the Free Jewish Cemetery was first reported April 22, but could have been carried out as early as April 1, according to Rotterdam police Lt. Patrick Farry, who said around 30 gravestones were pushed over by what police suspect was a group of people loitering in the cemetery, which is frequently used as a shortcut by teenagers passing through the area.

“It’s an open investigation as far as we get additional information, but there was no other evidence at the scene to make us think this was something more,” Farry said.

He added that police also discovered garbage at the cemetery, but no other evidence that would indicate a hate crime targeting those of the Jewish faith.

But the incident has rattled Rabbi Rafi Spitzer, whose Congregation Agudat Achim maintains portions of the cemetery located along Central Avenue and Schermerhorn Street that is divided into various sections based on denominations. Spitzer said he learned of the vandalism on Friday after being notified by a member of another congregation and immediately contacted police.

“When I got to the cemetery and parked my car and came in, it’s very clear there there’s a ton of damage,” he said. “A lot of stones are knocked over, some of them broken. You can see that it took some effort to push them over.”

Farry said an officer was dispatched to the cemetery on Friday, but determined there was no new damage and the vandalism Spitzer reported was the same reported last month.

Still, Spitzer said he doesn’t understand why anyone would desecrate such a sacred place and believes the act is driven by growing antisemitism.

“Even if it turns out that it’s a bunch of drunk teenagers who did this, which I tend to think that wasn’t what happened, but even if that what it end up being drunk teenagers could — there are a lot of destructive actions that drunk people could take and the fact that it took this form to a specific attack on the Jewish community like this, regardless of how it happened, it is antisemitic,” he said.

Spitzer said he believes the vandalism — regardless of who carried it out — was inspired by a “culture of hate” against Jewish people that has grown since the Hamas-Israel war in the Middle East first began.

“We see that there’s a deep seeded Jew-hatred, and I absolutely think that this is like a particular instance of something that is endemic to our society,” he said.

The vandalism comes more than six months after Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza, launched a surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200. The attack triggered a fierce response from Israel, which vowed to eliminate the terrorist organization.

Thousands in Gaza have been killed or displaced since, prompting humanitarian concerns about the Israeli response.

Across the U.S., students at college campuses have held mass protests calling for an end to the war and criticizing the U.S. support for Israel.

Groups have also pressed local governments to pass ceasefire resolutions, including during recent Schenectady City Council meetings. City lawmakers have so far not taken any action on a ceasefire resolution.

Spitzer said he attended a meeting where residents were pressed for the resolution during public comment and was disturbed by some of what he heard, including language that he believes is “consistent with historic antisemitic tropes.”

“Some of the folks that were asking the Schenectady City Council to weigh in on the events of the Middle East described the state of Israel and also Jewish people in ways that were deeply, deeply problematic and hate-filled and ignorant,” Spitzer said.

Spitzer said he believes there is a connection between language used at recent city council meetings and the vandalism at the cemetery.

“I think that when you cavalierly use hate-filled language and create a culture of hate and then this happens, it’s very clear to me that they are connected,” he said. “Congregants of mine have come forward and told me how uncomfortable they are with the rising hatred in the community, and I think this is a direct result.”

Spitzer said it’s unclear if the damaged burial markings can be repaired, but said he hopes he can help his community heal from the incident.

“This is my cemetery,” he said. “I bury people in it regularly, so every stone in the cemetery is a stone that is deeply connected to my sense of family and community.”

https://www.dailygazette.com/news/rotterdam-jewish-cemetery-vandalized-headstones-damaged/article_7ad8e67e-0a33-11ef-8926-87d08f56b29d.html

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