Holocaust Survivors' Memorial Toppled at California Cemetery
Fountain dedicated to Jewish community is vandalised, smashed to pieces
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A memorial inside a California cemetery, that was dedicated to survivors of the Holocaust, was toppled and smashed by vandals, according to reports.
The vandalism of the fountain, which was also used for ritual hand-washing, comes as rioters have destroyed numerous statues across the country in recent days.
Police are investigating the incident at Santa Rosa Memorial Park to determine if it was a hate crime, according to a report by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
The fountain, which was found broken into pieces on the ground, was “part of a memorial created for the late Lillian Judd and her husband Emil, beloved figures in the local Jewish community who survived Nazi concentration camps during World War II,” the outlet added.
Lillian Judd regularly spoke to Sonoma County students about the Holocaust.
A mosaic erected behind the fountain lists the names of 12 family members who were killed during the Holocaust.
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Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Dave Linscomb told the local newspaper that all indicators suggest that the fountain was pushed off its foundation.
Linscomb said that anyone who is charged in the case will be charged with felonies due to the extent of the damage.
He also stated that hate crime charges could be filed should police discover an anti-Semitic motive.
“If there is something more to it, we’d go that direction,” Linscomb said.
“But that needs to be vetted out with the investigation when we get a hold of who did this.”
Dennis Judd, who commissioned a mosaic that was constructed behind the fountain, responded to the incident.
"That’s what led up to the Holocaust and genocides — people hating and getting angry,” said Judd.
"Mom always spoke about forgiveness.
"It’s sad to see somebody or a group of people would go and tear it down.”
"The hope that mom had was to teach the kids and teach the adults about peace,” he added.
"That’s the thing we need to push on.
"Maybe the community can come together and help us resurrect the fountain and make it a place of healing.
"That was always the message for (Lillian).”
đşđ¸âĄď¸ — CALIFORNIA: A fountain dedicated to Holocaust survivors was toppled onto the ground in pieces over the weekend at Santa Rosa Memorial Park. Police are investigating the act of vandalism to determine if it is a hate crime. pic.twitter.com/2cvC0vDy5l
— Belaaz (@TheBelaaz) June 16, 2020
The apparent vandalism of the fountain comes as rioters have destroyed monuments across the nation in recent days, including statues of three former U.S. Presidents: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.
The destruction of America’s history by left-wing rioters has earned sharp criticism from the right and even some on the left.
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Paul Krugman, a left-wing columnist for The New York Times, has called out the increasingly extreme acts of vandalism, writing on Twitter Sunday regarding the destruction of a statue of Grant: “As it happens, here’s the book I started reading a few days ago.
"I’ve long been a Grant groupie; he was imperfect, but without him there would have been no emancipation — and he fought the Klan. Leave his statues alone!”
As it happens, here's the book I started reading a few days ago. I've long been a Grant groupie; he was imperfect, but without him there would have been no emancipation — and he fought the Klan. Leave his statues alone! pic.twitter.com/s4l3apyP0D
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) June 20, 2020
Other recently destroyed statues include numerous Confederate figures, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, Francis Scott Key, who wrote America’s national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and Father Junipero Serra, a missionary that helped expand the church in California in the 1700s.
Dennis Judd has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover the cost of repairing the memorial.
