Historic Jewish cemeteries in Seattle said desecrated by homeless

Jewish community asks for authorities help after drug addicts, prostitutes camp in graveyards and allegedly deface headstones

The managers of two historic Jewish cemeteries in Seattle have asked for the city’s help in preventing desecration and vandalism at the sites.

The local US Jewish community said the issue is groups of homeless people who have set up camp in and around the cemeteries.

Ari Hoffman, a vice president of Seattle’s Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Synagogue and a member of its cemetery committee, told local media that headstones have been defaced and that needles and other discarded drug paraphernalia, as well as human feces, have been found on and among the tombstones. Hoffman also said that prostitutes use the woods behind the cemetery for their clients.

The Bikur Cholim cemetery has grave-sites going back to the Civil War as well as recent burials.

Across the street, the Historic Sephardic Jewish Cemetery is experiencing similar vandalism.

A spokesman for Seattle’s Homelessness Emergency Response said Friday that the city was aware of the concerns near the cemeteries.

“The Navigation Team, which is the city’s homelessness response team that connects vulnerable people to shelter and services, inspected the site earlier today and is assessing site conditions,” the spokesman said.