Vandalism at Jewish cemetery stirs memories of synagogue desecration
Swastikas found painted on tombstones, marker at Mt. Carmel Cemetery Tuesday
About one year after someone painted a black swastika on the glass case of a synagogue's announcement board along Noyes Street, the Nazi symbols have been found again, this time painted on four tombstones and a marker at the Jewish Mt. Carmel Cemetery near Warren Avenue.
"One frightening thing is that it was discovered almost exactly a year from when a swastika was discovered on my synagogue," said Rabbi Akiva Herzfeld of Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh, the synagogue where a swastika was discovered on the outside announcement display case on Jan. 30, 2009.
That incident prompted an outpouring of support of the synagogue.
Authorities have never announced an arrest in the case, although police opened an investigation and the message board cover was removed and taken away as evidence. Herzfeld said Wednesday that there was never enough evidence to identify the perpetrator.
On Tuesday morning, Susan Cummings-Lawrence discovered the new desecration at Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Someone painted crude swastikas on four tombstones and on a marker bearing the name of the cemetery and its founding information.
It's unclear if the crimes are related, but police are investigating the latest incident, according to leaders in the Jewish community. The two locations are nearly three miles apart — Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh is located in the Deering area between Forest and Brighton avenues. Mt. Carmel Cemetery is located on Hicks Street, a spur off of Warren Avenue.
But the timing worried Rabbi Herzfeld.
"That was alarming," he said. "That's a striking coincidence to me."
The latest set of swastikas were not done in a way that was "professional," Herzfeld said, meaning the person did not seem to be familiar with the exact design of the infamous symbol.
"It looks like someone was a drunk idiot, but we do need to educate the community about the need for awareness about what the swastika means to the Jewish community," he said.
Herzfeld said he hoped that the Jewish community would be able to gather with other religious institutions and other groups in the area, particularly those who have been subjected to hatred. Whether it's racism, anti-Semitism or homophobia, he said the community needs to respond with education.
"I hope the police can find the person who did it and that I could talk to him or her and explain to them the meaning of the swastika," Herzfeld said.
"It is hard to express in strong enough terms the disgust of the Jewish community at such an act of desecration," said the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine in a written statement Wednesday. "The cemetery is hallowed ground and the sanctity of that space has been violated by a universal symbol of hate and intolerance; a symbol of particular loathing to the Jewish community. The fact that this degree of hatred still persists is a reminder that we must not take for granted the bonds of good will and the high degree of tolerance and mutual respect that exists in this great community."
"It's just obviously incredibly disturbing that this still happens," said Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Executive Director Emily Chaleff in an interview Wednesday. "If it's at a synagogue or a Jewish gravestone, it seems to be with intent against the Jewish community. We know the vast majority of citizens in Portland are extremely supportive and we have a strong relationship with the community and faith groups. But it's very scary that there are people like this living in our community" who would deface Jewish sites, she said.
According to local historical sources, Mt. Carmel Cemetery is associated with a now-defunct synagogue, Anshe Sfard, which is no longer in existence but was located on Cumberland Avenue. The cemetery is still maintained by an association.
Chaleff said she hopes this incident will become an educational opportunity. There's discussion of a prayer service or event to respond to the vandalism, although no events had been scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon.
In the aftermath of the synagogue's desecration a year ago, the community rallied to support Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh. Herzfeld said in the wake of that incident that the crime may have gone unsolved but that the community embraced the synagogue, with multi-faith expressions of support. Among the outpouring of support, synagogue members organized a rally with the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, and the synagogue received encouragement from religious leaders including Bishop Richard Malone of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and Eric Smith, representing the Maine Council of Churches.
As to this latest hate crime, Herzfeld said, "I hope that they're not connected."
