Dozens of graves at a Jewish cemetery in Massachusetts were recently vandalized, prompting police to open a hate crime investigation. Police found swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti at the Fall River cemetery and believe the incident occurred on March 16 or early March 17, according to a Tuesday social media post. Gravestones were defaced using a black marker and some were pushed over, police said. On Tuesday, police estimated that 25 gravestones were vandalized, but that estimate more than doubled on Wednesday to 59, The (Fall River, Mass.) Herald News reports. The paper previously reported the graves were marked with words such as "heil Hitler" and "Hitler was right." One was reportedly tagged with "Oy vey! This is MAGA country." A unique kind of hate:After Tree of Life attack, don't tell Jews all hate crimes & bigoted attacks are the same 'No one left to kill':15,000 murders a day: August-October 1942 were the Holocaust's deadliest months The Anti-Defamation League New England issued a statement on Facebook condemning the crime: "The desecration of The Hebrew Cemetery of Fall River is an inexcusable act of antisemitic hatred in the place where we honor and remember the lives of our community members." The ADL has previously documented a recent rise in incidents motivated by anti-Jewish bias. An October 2018 report found an alarming increase in the amount of anti-Semitic content on social media in the lead-up to last year's midterm elections. Louis Gitlan, who has relatives buried at the cemetery, surveyed the damage and commented that many of the people buried at the Fall River cemetery faced persecution during their lives, the Herald News reports. “What did they go through to get to this place, and finally be free? Then realize that they can’t escape it,” he told the newspaper. Contributing: Aamer Madhani, Ryan W. Miller and Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY; The Associated Press<doc-sep>Authorities are investigating a possible hate crime after dozens of graves were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in Fall River, Massachusetts. Police found more than 20 gravestones defaced at the Hebrew Cemetery with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti on Sunday. Authorities made the discovery after responding to call from a resident who lives close to the cemetery, according to a statement on the department’s Facebook page. Some of the gravestones had also been pushed over. "Desecration of a religious or holy place, it's just something that’s not acceptable," Fall River resident Lewis Brooks told NBC Boston after finding several of his relative’s graves vandalized. The Anti-Defamation League tweeted that the crime is “an inexcusable act of anti-Semitic hatred where we honor & remember the lives of community members.” “There are many Jewish immigrants who came to this country decades ago even centuries ago buried there," Robert Trestan, regional director of the New England region of the Anti-Defamation League, told NBC News. “It’s scary because - we know - history has taught us what happens when hate goes unchecked. So, we have a responsibility now to stand up and put a stop to it," Trestan added. The incident has also disturbed some residents in the area who are wary that anti-Semitic acts are becoming more prevalent in the United States. "It just seems to be getting worse and there’s a lot better things that I think people could do with their lives than desecrate other people’s rights to religion," local resident Carl Superior told NBC Boston. Superior has family buried at the cemetery, but their graves were not disturbed. This incident comes during a time when anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. have spiked. In October 2018, 11 people were killed in a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The following month, a Jewish professor at Columbia University found large swastikas spray-painted on the walls of her office. Hate crimes in general have been on the rise the past three years with a 17 percent increase in 2017, a FBI report shows. The Anti-Defamation League is offering a $1,500 reward, in addition to a reward from the police department, to anyone that provides information that helps police capture the suspects in the Fall River incident.<doc-sep>Dozens of gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in Massachusetts have been defaced with anti-Semitic messages and swastikas — including references to Adolf Hitler, according to reports. A groundskeeper at the Hebrew Cemetery in Fall River discovered the desecration on Sunday and reported it to police, who launched a hate crime investigation. According to the Fall River-based Herald News, the scrawls ranged from “heil Hitler” to “expel the Jews” to “Oy vey! This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Trump’s signature slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Two gravestones also were defaced with the words “Day of the Rope,” an apparent reference to the novel “The Turner Diaries,” about a white supremacist army that overthrows the US government. Police said they believe the cemetery was vandalized on Saturday. “Approximately 25 gravestones were marked with Anti-Semitic words, phrases and some stones were also pushed over,” police said in a statement. “The stones were marked using black magic marker. A full canvas of the cemetery is being conducted to identify all areas of vandalism and calculate a more accurate number.” Police released a photo showing one of the gravestones that had been defaced with anti-Semitic slurs. “Our intention is not [to] further offend the Jewish community but to accurately depict the seriousness of the photos,” they wrote in a caption Lewis Brooks was devastated to find out that one of the targeted headstones belongs to his family. “My great-aunt used to take me here, she’s over there with her family,” Brooks said, gesturing to an area of the cemetery, according to the local CBS station. “It has a lot of memories.” Another man who stopped by found his family’s gravestones had not been marked. “But I will spend a little time to take some of the demeaning words off of some of the gravestones if I can,” he said. In addition to an award of an undisclosed amount being offered by police, the Anti-Defamation League of New England is offering a $1,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest. A $12,500 reward also is being offered by an anonymous donor, CBS reported. Robert Trestan, the ADL’s regional director, said the group is “grateful for the priority that this apparent hate crime is being given by the Fall River Police Department,” according to the Boston Globe. “The desecration of The Hebrew Cemetery of Fall River is an inexcusable act of anti-Semitic hatred in the place where we honor and remember the lives of our community members,” Trestan said in a statement to Boston.com. The cemetery, which was established in the late 1800s, is among the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Massachusetts. There were 90 reported anti-Jewish hate crimes in Massachusetts in 2017, a nearly 50 percent increase compared to 2016, as well as any other year dating back to 2004, according to the ADL’s most recent data. Rabbi Jacqueline Romm Satlow, who oversees the UMass Dartmouth Center For Jewish Culture, told the Herald that while it is difficult to pinpoint one reason for the spike, it’s clear that “people who hate, for some reason, feel empowered, more empowered than they did a few years ago.”<doc-sep>
Fifty-nine gravesites at a Jewish cemetery in Fall River, Massachusetts, were desecrated with swastikas and anti-Semitic phrases, police said. (CNN) — Nearly five dozen gravesites at a Jewish cemetery in Massachusetts were vandalized with anti-Semitic phrases and images, police said. Fifty-nine gravestones at the Hebrew Cemetery were marked with swastikas and derogatory phrases in black magic marker, the Fall River Police Department said. Some phrases praised Hitler. In addition, some gravestones were pushed over, police said. Police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime with the FBI’s assistance. Fall River Police Department Some gravestones were knocked over. A maintenance worker spotted the damage on March 17. Police believe it occurred the day before or early that morning. Officials said they do not have any solid suspects as of Thursday morning. The Anti-Defamation League of New England has offered a $1,500 reward for information on the incident. The regional director, Robert Trestan, condemned the vandalism in a statement. “The desecration of The Hebrew Cemetery of Fall River is an inexcusable act of antisemitic hatred in the place where we honor and remember the lives of our community members,” Trestan said. Jewish leader warns against rising hate group activity Fall River Police Department Stephen Silverman, president of the Temple Beth El synagogue in Fall River, said the cemetery workers will try to restore the gravestones. Stephen Silverman, the president of Temple Beth El synagogue in Fall River, said the Jewish community is remaining resilient. “The ugly head of anti-Semitism has raised its head again,” Silverman said. “Being Jews, we will survive and persevere, and we’ll get this all squared away.” He said the community has been “greatly upset” and “everybody wants to help out.” The cemetery caretaker plans to restore the affected gravestones to their original state, Silverman said. He said the incident is part of a growing problem of hate group activity in America. “America has got to be aware of all the situations going on – it’s getting worse and worse,” Silverman said. “I hope for the safety of everyone in this country we get to the bottom of these hate groups and start preaching and educating people at schools and home.”