ST PAUL, Minn. — The St. Paul Police Department says it will be increasing patrol around synagogues and Jewish community centers throughout the city after dozens of headstones had been pushed over at cemetery.
According to officials, the caretaker at Chesed Shel Emes Cemetery of Saint Paul – a burial location that's served the Jewish community since 1912 – found more than 30 headstones pushed over on Thursday. Police say no arrests have been made.
The Beth El Synagogue – a prominent Twin Cities synagogue – was forced to close on Friday after being targeted by a post on a national website. Authorities believe the threat originated in the Twin Cities.
It's unclear if the two incidents are related.
The incidents come during a period people of the Jewish faith refer to as the High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the days in between), which are considered the holiest days of the year. Shabbat starts at sundown Friday and runs through Saturday, which would normally include in-person services.
On Wednesday, the Hmong Cultural Center and Museum in St. Paul was also vandalized with whitewash paint used to cover up artwork painted on plywood sheets in the aftermath of George's Floyd's death in 2020.
