Jewish cemetery vandalized in Bulgaria

JTA — A Jewish cemetery in northeastern Bulgaria was vandalized last week.

Gravestones were pushed over and broken, and a fence around the cemetery was damaged, the Sofia Globe reported Thursday.

The city of Shumen was home to a Jewish community during centuries of Ottoman rule. The Jewish cemetery in Shumen dates back to the 19th century.

The regional Sofia chapter of the Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria, or Shalom, has engaged in dialogue about the incident with the Regional Prosecutor’s Office and is calling for the proper institutions to “find the perpetrators and ensure that such actions will not be repeated,” according to the World Jewish Congress.

In 2008, vandals damaged the cemetery and were forced to attend court-mandated educational training against anti-Semitism, The Sofia Globe reported.