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"Kanye was rite" - Jewish cemetery vandalized with swastikas and graffiti [1]

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Date: 2022-11-14

Attribution: Fox32Chicago.

This must not become normalized. A 100+ year old Jewish cemetery in the far-north suburbs of Chicago was recently vandalized with hateful, antisemitic graffiti. The discovery was made early this morning at Am Echod Cemetery in Waukegan, IL. Thirtynine headstones were defaced with bright red spray paint, 16 of which were swastikas. They might never have known about Kanye in their lifetimes, or the hateful things he’s spewed over the years with a torrent of vileness over recent weeks, but these people knew the meaning of a swastika. Most of them lost family members in the Holocaust. Some of them came from Europe and Russia and knew antisemitism there. Some of them were born here, and experienced discrimination in the form of antisemitic taunts at school, red-lining, exclusion from universities, country clubs, restaurants, and hotels. Some of them served in the U.S. Armed forces in WWII, defending the world from naziism and fascism. The majority were just ordinary people: they raised families, sent their kids to the local schools, paid their taxes and tried to be upstanding citizens. They were people’s neighbors, classmates, and friends. The former owners of my house are buried here. I feel a connection to them that I can’t explain. I visit them sometimes. The good lady of the house was Jack Benny’s aunt. Her brother, Jack’s father, is also buried here. I have no idea what condition their headstones are in, and will need to pay a visit soon. I plan on reaching out to the synagogue affiliated with this cemetery to see what I can to do assist in the clean up.

There is something extra heinous about the act of desecrating a grave. What kind of hate does a person have to possess to go after a bunch of dead strangers who never did anything to them? Right now, it’s vandalism. If we’re not careful, if silence is misconstued as tacit approval, we will see things escalate into real life violence. It always starts with words. And we’ve seen this too many times over the course of history to dismiss it as something insignificant. Words have consequences. One-hundred percent vociferous condemnation of this act, and others like it is required by Jews and allies alike. Jewish teachings are full of instructions to be careful about what we say and the power of words. Anyone need further proof? (Kan)Ye, I’m looking at you.

Anyone with information about this act of hate is asked to call the Waukegan Police Department tip line at 847-360-9001.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/14/2136217/--Kanye-was-rite-Jewish-cemetery-vandalized-with-swastikas-and-graffiti

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