70 gravestones pushed over in Jewish cemetery feel like a 'slap in the face' for community

About 70 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in West Kildonan were tipped over earlier this week, shocking and upsetting members of the community.

Staff of the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery arrived at work Wednesday morning and noticed the heavy stones had been pushed off their plinths, said Ran Ukashi, executive director of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, which owns and administers the cemetery.

The phone has been ringing off the hook since then, Ukashi said, and people in the community are hurt.

In Judaism, there's a concept called chesed shel emet that roughly translates to true loving kindness, he said. 

The concept refers to the honour loved ones bring to the dead by burying them, taking care of the grave and honouring their memory. It's a kindness that is purely altruistic, he said.

"This is almost like an inversion of that. It's an insult to the dead and also to the living families who go there and they see this," Ukashi said.

Although it's not clear whether the vandalism was motivated by anti-Jewish prejudice or mere mischief, it stings.

"How painful would it be to see your parents', your grandparents' tombstone damaged that way? It demonstrates contempt for the people, the real lives that those people lived ... and it causes a lot of pain," Ukashi said.

Jewish communities often experience vandalism motivated by hate on synagogues and in cemeteries in Winnipeg and across Canada, he said.

"I think there's a strong emotional toll, much more than the physical toll. You can always stand up the headstones, repair things. That can be done. But it's the ultimate slap in the face," Ukashi said.

Staff have placed all of the headstones back where they belong, he said.

Police are investigating, but wouldn't provide details about the scope of the investigation at this time.

B'nai Brith Canada and the Jewish Federation of Canada have been informed of the vandalism, Ukashi said.

In the interim, he hopes anybody who saw anything on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning will report those details to the police.