A Boston Holocaust memorial was vandalized for the second time this summer on Monday, only days after the city of Charlottesville, Va. was shocked by an outbreak of white supremacist violence during a “Unite the Right” rally.
A 17-yea-old threw a rock through a glass panel bearing the numbers of tattooed on the arms of concentration camp inmates on Monday evening, less than two months after another man did the same at the site, the Boston Globe reported. The young man was tackled and restrained by bystanders.
The Combined Jewish Philanthropies and the Jewish Community Relations Council, which represent Boston Jews, condemned the incident in a joint statement in which they pledged to "remain resilient” and rebuild.
"We are appalled and saddened that the New England Holocaust Memorial was vandalized Monday night for the second time in just 6 weeks,” the statement read. "The images of Nazis marching in the streets of America over the weekend in Charlottesville and now shattered glass once again at this sacred space in Boston are an affront to our Jewish community and to all those who stand-up against bigotry, hatred and anti-Semitism.”
"Today and every day Boston stands up against hate. I’m saddened to see such a despicable action in this great city,” Mayor Martin Walsh tweeted in response.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder on Tuesday condemned the destructive vandalism of the Holocaust Memorial in Boston, which had been rededicated last month after a similar vandalism in June, calling it a “despicable act of baseless hatred” that “should be designated as a hate crime."
“The World Jewish Congress strongly condemns the desecration of the Holocaust Memorial in Boston. This was a despicable act of baseless hatred and should be designated as a hate crime.
“The World Jewish Congress places great value on preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, and of ensuring that future generations receive a comprehensive and candid education of the Nazi attempt to wipe out European Jewry.
“The Holocaust must also serve as a warning cry against the dangers of hatred and bigotry. This lesson is more important for Americans today than ever, as we come to terms with the vicious, and reprehensible neo-Nazi hatred on display in Charlottesville over the weekend.
“We are encouraged by the Massachusetts authorities’ quick condemnation of this hate crime, and we hope they will continue to make every effort to ensure that the Jewish community, and indeed all residents, feel safe.”
The monument's desecration comes on the heels of an incident of vandalism at a Jewish cemetery in nearby Melrose, Massachusetts late last month in which six gravestones were overturned. It was unclear if that incident had an anti-Semitic motivation.
