Swastika daubed at Chatham Memorial Synagogue just days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Published: 16:10, 25 January 2024
Updated: 16:14, 25 January 2024
Vandals have reportedly daubed a swastika outside a synagogue just days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The graffiti has been sprayed at the entrance of Chatham Memorial Synagogue and is the latest in a series of vile acts targeting the place of worship.
Dalia Halpern- Matthews, a trustee of the synagogue in Rochester High Street, said she was disturbed and upset by the appearance of the Nazi symbol on a pillar.
In August last year, yobs went on a wrecking spree causing thousands of pounds of damage in the cemetery of the synagogue.
A trail of destruction was left in the Jewish burial ground with the headstones of loved ones smashed and knocked down in what was treated by police as a hate crime.
It’s the sixth time the sacred site, which has just gained Grade II-listed status from Historic England, has been hit in recent years.
In other attacks, the CCTV cable was cut from the wall, excrement was smeared on the door, and graffiti including swastikas was daubed over furniture. Lead was also stripped from the roof.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place on Saturday and commemorates the brutal murder of millions of Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators between 1941 and 1945.
Their attempt to wipe out all Jews in Europe, shook the foundations of civilisation.
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Nicola Jordan