Desecration in Chisinau: Swastikas and Vandalism at Jewish Cemetery
In Moldova's capital, Chisinau, vandals desecrated a Jewish cemetery with swastikas and other Nazi symbols, damaging over 50 gravestones. Authorities opened a criminal case citing desecration and racial hatred. The cemetery, historically significant, faced a similar attack in 2020. Moldova's Jewish population has drastically declined from 200,000 a century ago.
Vandals have targeted a Jewish cemetery in Chisinau, Moldova, scrawling swastikas and other Nazi symbols across more than 50 gravestones, local officials reported on Thursday.
Authorities, including forensic experts and prosecutors, have cordoned off the site, marking it as a crime scene, as they investigate the violent act of desecration and incitement of racial hatred. A criminal case has been initiated, though further details about the incident remain limited. This site, once a vibrant hub of Jewish culture in the Russian empire, was similarly attacked in 2020 when dozens of headstones were marred by either damage or paint.
Moldova's Jewish community, which counted 200,000 members a century ago, now numbers about 5,000. The city of Chisinau holds a poignant history with its Jewish inhabitants, including the tragic 1903 anti-Jewish pogrom that resulted in the deaths of 49 people, injuries to 600, and the destruction of numerous Jewish homes and businesses.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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