05 March 2007
An 18th century Jewish cemetery in Bavaria has been desecrated. More than half of the 60 tombstones that the vandals toppled were beyond repair, according to police in the southern German state. The vandals, who scaled a cemetery wall, also toppled 11 memorial stones in honor of Jews who fought for Germany in World War I. A police statement said "Because no graffiti or symbols with a political message were found, pure vandalism could have been the motive," adding that the crime could have been committed at any time since the end of January. The damage is estimated at several tens of thousands of dollars, besides the loss of historic gravestones. The cemetery is near the village of Diespeck, between the northern Bavarian cities of Nuremberg and Würzburg.
