Some of the many disturbed gravestones at the Rotterdam Jewish cemeteries.
By MARC GRONICH
Jews have experienced hatred from a wide swath of the global population. Some of these acts of hatred have included anti-Semitism in schools, on college campuses or Jews punched in the face for just innocently being on the sidewalk.
Cemetery Desecration Here
Six cemeteries, three of which are dormant, share a plot of land, dedicated for multiple congregations and Jewish communities that have plots in the cemetery. They were vandalized in April. While the synagogues are located in Niskayuna, Schenectady County and Clifton Park, and Saratoga County, the cemeteries are all in the town of Rotterdam, Schenectady County.
“In mid-April, on a late-night drinking binge and folly by partiers, for no apparent reason, more than 170 headstones were either overturned or weakened at its base. This action was unprovoked and may have been, for no other reason but to cause mischief and damage,” said Rabbi Andrew Schultz, executive director of Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemeteries, based in Fair Lawn, N.J.
Sanctity Of The Land
“The land of the cemetery is so valuable and sacred now we have to focus our energies on restoring the tranquility and the sanctity to that land,” Schultz told The Jewish World. “We can’t take the attitude that we only have to protect the living. The dead are vulnerable. We need to add voice to the voiceless. These are the people who came before us. We’re not just going to hide from this. It’s yet another attack on the Jewish community and we have to put our best foot forward and show the world we will not stand still.
The vandalized cemeteries included those of the congregations of Beth Israel, Orthodox, Schenectady; Beth Shalom of Clifton Park, Saratoga County, Conservative; Agudat Achim, Conservative, Schenectady; and three dormant cemeteries —Adath Israel, the Free Jewish Cemetery and Workmen’s Circle, a Jewish fraternal order.
Hate Crime
“My initial reaction was sadness and I was taken aback. It was just another eye-opener to the realities of the fact that anti-Semitism is as much in our backyard as it is in Israel and around the world,” Rabbi Amiel Tuvia Monson, rabbi-in-residence at Beth Shalom told The Jewish World. “Except for the people who did it, no one knows what their intent was. Without knowing the intent and also knowing the age and circumstance of this happening, I would put it under the category of a hate crime. What makes this a hate crime is that this was specifically in Jewish cemeteries. It wasn’t just a cemetery that had both Jews and non-Jews. That’s what makes it a hate crime.”
“I was horrified by the desecration and damage at the cemeteries. The police can’t prove it is a hate crime. The number of the toppled stones, some of them 400 to 500 pounds each. If it’s not a hate crime, it was an act of hate. Some people are saying it was teenagers going through there,” Linda Gellman, president of Congregation Beth Shalom in Clifton Park. “What purpose does it serve for someone to desecrate a cemetery?”
“It was damage that was done to souls who couldn’t respond,” recalled Margo Strosberg, a past president and congregant of Congregation Beth Israel. “I had a lot of sadness that anyone who would do something like this is to be pitied. Is this something that someone does just to look for excitement? For joy? I don’t understand it.
Margo’s husband expressed similar feelings. “I thought of the victims, the deceased. It was awful, unbelievable. I thought this is no different than the pogroms,” said Dr. James Strosberg, a member and also a past president of Congregation Beth Israel. “We have to divide this into two ways: restoration of the stones and security. There are some dormant shul cemeteries. I met with the detective from the Rotterdam police. He said he thinks it was teenagers. They found evidence of alcohol, a lot of garbage and evidence of a party. According to neighbors, there were other parties in the cemeteries.”
Rotterdam Police Detective Connor Lee, one of the officers handling the case, told The Jewish World that the state police are aware of the situation. “The matter is being handled as a criminal mischief case, which is a felony hate crime.”
Rabbi Rafi Spitzer, the spiritual leader of Congregation Agudat Achim, told The Jewish World that he was emotional when the news broke about the vandalism. “I feel a sense of deep anger, violation and sadness that we live in a world that creates the permissive structure for active Jew-hatred like that,” Spitzer told The Jewish World. “Ninety stones are down in the cemetery and these stones are hundreds of pounds. I don’t think you do this lightly. I think it took several people, several nights to get it done. I cried. It’s terrible. It’s somebody’s mother, brother, daughter.”
When The Jewish World caught up with Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, May 22, to ask her about the cemetery desecration she said:
“I would certainly say that the community should be helpful, number one. Number two, that vandalism in the pursuit of displaying animosity or hatred toward a protected group constitutes a hate crime and vandalism of taking down gravestones is vandalism that meets that standard and I want to make sure that’s defined. As you know, we added 28 hate crimes this year. I think that is an act of anti-Semitism when it occurs intentionally in one cemetery. I’m not saying it’s prima facie but an argument could be made that that would constitute a hate crime and that there should be assistance provided.”
United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand reacted by simply stating, “it’s disgusting.”
There is legislation pending in the state legislature, sponsored by Senator James Tedisco (R – Schenectady) and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein (D–Borough Park, Brooklyn). The legislation was introduced on May 10, just three weeks before lawmakers left Albany until January 2025. The purpose of the bill, S.9297, would be to include aggravated cemetery desecration in the second degree and first degree as specified offenses for purposes of hate crime. The justification of the amendment to the hate crimes law is that hate crimes laws in New York State are silent on targeted cemetery desecration motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, etc.
Repair And Restoration
It is unclear how much the reparation will cost except that it will take several months. “We think it’s a project that’s going to cost $40,000 to $45,000 to fix,” Rabbi Rafi Spitzer, of Congregation Agudat Achim. However, others believe $75,000 or more may be needed to fix everything.”
Bids from cemetery restoration companies are being solicited now.
Several State lawmakers were upset by this act of vandalism.
“It’s heartbreaking to see this type of destruction of sacred ground. It’s awful, absolutely awful. It’s disrespectful. It’s hurtful to our community,” Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D – Rotterdam) told The Jewish World. “We have to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have a diverse community. We only support one another. We have to do everything we can to stand against it and to stop it.”
One Jewish member of the Assembly who represents the area of the desecration said he wants to do whatever he can but no one from the community has approached his office to make a request for funding.
“There have been monies allotted for synagogues and JCCs for security. I don’t know if that is extended for cemeteries but certainly the precedent is there,” Assemblyman Phillip Steck (D – Colonie, Albany County). “Obviously, there is the issue of getting funding for restoration and or protection. We have been beefing up laws regarding hate crimes, which this would be, but there is no fool-proof method for stopping anti-Semitism.”
A state senator, who sponsored the legislation, was frustrated by the actions at the cemetery.
“Now anti-Semitism has reached heightened levels where they are not only terrorizing the Jewish faith and Jewish individuals when they are alive but even under death when they are desecrating burial grounds and trying to impact their families in a vicious anti-Semitic way,” Senator James Tedisco (R – Saratoga Springs), who represents Schenectady told The Jewish World. The amended legislation would include turning over a tombstone, putting a swastika on it, painting it, painting graffiti on the stone or language that could be on it. This cannot be accepted, this type of discrimination and anti-Semitism.”
Donations for the cemetery restoration may be made at https://cajacnynj.org/donate/ or by mailing a check to:
Rabbi Andrew Schultz
Executive Director
Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemeteries
The check should indicate on it “Rotterdam Cemetery Restoration.”
Marc Gronich of Delmar recently sent us a copy of his words at the Thursday, July 11, Rotterdam Town Board meeting. He told us that he spoke in hopes of getting investigators to make greater efforts to aid the Jewish community after the April unsolved gravestone topplings at the Rotterdam Jewish cemetery site.
We print those words here:
Madam Supervisor and councilmembers,
My name is Marc Gronich and I live in Delmar, Albany County. On occasion I attend services at Congregation Beth Israel. Tonight, I wish to speak about the cemetery desecration that occurred in April.
The vandalism took place across six cemeteries, three are in regular use and three are dormant cemeteries. The six cemeteries are located at the corner of Schermerhorn Street and Stuart Road.
I know during public comment or privilege of the floor there is no question-and-answer period. This is supposed to be a monologue. I have one simple silent request. With a show of hands, how many of you knew about this before tonight and took the time to see for yourself the damage done to the headstones? For those of you who have not gone to see the horrific damage on sacred ground, please take the time to do so.
The problem I have is with the investigation that is or is not taking place by the Rotterdam Police Department.
I met with a sergeant last month who called “synagogues” “churches” on two separate occasions during our conversation. This needs to be a teachable moment here.
I also met with the officer over the phone and in person who is handling this case. He told me the incident(s) are being handled as a criminal mischief case, which is a felony hate crime. There is a bill in the Senate and Assembly that could pass next year specifically adding “cemetery desecration” to the hate crimes bill so there could be stronger penalties attached to these types of incidents.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called the vandalism disgusting. The governor called this a hate crime as did your local area assemblymen (Angelo Santabarbara and Phil Steck) and senator (Jim Tedisco). Senator Neil Breslin is retiring this year and Assemblywoman Pat Fahy is likely to be your new state senator so she will get more involved if this is not resolved by the end of this year. All the rabbis and significant synagogue leaders in Schenectady and Clifton Park also believe this is a hate crime.
So, why aren’t town law enforcement and town leaders such as yourselves doing more to catch the vandals?
Why isn’t this case being turned over to the State Police Hate Crimes Unit in conjunction with the Rotterdam Police. All I was told is that the State Police know about this. In the Cincinnati case, which you have a copy of that article, President Biden commented on the July 3 toppling of Jewish headstones.
President Biden called the incident, “despicable,” “This is antisemitism and it is vile. I condemn these acts and commit my administration to support investigators in holding those responsible, accountable to the full extent of the law.” Do we really need the president’s administration to step in on this case?
The FBI stepped in with the Cincinnati case and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. We have an FBI office in Albany. Why are we not asking them to look into the case?
I want to emphasize. I don’t want to take anything away from the Rotterdam Police, but the State Police and the FBI have more resources to handle a case like this.
A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in my car near the cemeteries and noticed a young man sitting in the garden area to the Agudat Achim entrance to the cemetery. I drove up and said to the young man you should be careful here because there has been some vandalism. He said I know who did it. The Shiva (Sheevah) family around the corner did the damage.
I called the Rotterdam Police and ten minutes later a patrol car responded. The teenager was gone by then. He went to his friends’ house to get a basketball to shoot hoops nearby. I told the officer who responded but to no avail. He said he would drive around and see if he could find him. I saw the young man again leaving the cemetery with his friend. I took a picture and sent it to the police. The officer said the man did not look familiar.
He also said he went to the Sheevah house in April when the incident became known to the community. As it was told to me by the officer, in April or May the Sheevahs were questioned whether they had anything to do with this. They said no and then moved on. Nothing more.
To the best of my knowledge, the police officer did not go back to the house to ask them again.
This young man could have been lying, had a vendetta out for the family or just said the first thing that came to mind. I’m not naïve. I want you to know that. The police, to my knowledge, did not go back to the house for additional questioning.
Why aren’t the Rotterdam Police putting a car at the cemetery for the safety of visitors who wish to pay their respects to their loved ones? How come the Rotterdam Police are not taking a more vigorous approach and patrolling the area with additional patrol cars? Are they understaffed for such a mission? This is one example of what I mean by not having enough resources.
I would like for you to see the damage for yourselves. I want you to get as fired up as I am about the desecration that occurred and through your ideas, help catch these culprits.
As I said in the beginning of my remarks, I don’t want to take anything away from Rotterdam PD but more needs to be done by law enforcement. I hope you can help move this along.
Thank you for listening and taking the time to visit the vandalism at the Jewish cemeteries.
