Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\nServing in the New Jersey Attorney General\u2019s Office two decades ago, Goldenberg investigated a wave of attacks on some 100 Jewish cemeteries over a period of seven years \u2014 including his father\u2019s resting place. That spate, he said, was inspired by the neo-Nazi music scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a feeling that the cemeteries may become a place where vandals may become more proactive,\u201d Goldenberg said. \u201cRight now we\u2019re concerned about copycats.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trinkley and Goldenberg said the most effective way to prevent cemetery vandalism is through volunteer patrols that keep the cemetery manned at night, as well as surveillance. Chesed Shel Emeth has security cameras, while Mount Carmel does not.<\/p>\n
Goldenberg added that community members need to contact law enforcement when they see a threat, and should let police examine damaged stones before repairing a vandalized cemetery.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople want to do the right thing and clean up and put stones up,\u201d Goldenberg said. \u201cThey need to reconsider that until the police show up for investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Goldenberg floated the prospect of paid security, Trinkley said many cemetery budgets probably cannot support that. Even repairing damaged stones can get pricey. Trinkley estimated that setting a toppled headstone aright could cost $500, while buying a new one can run to $4,000.<\/p>\n
Financial help has streamed in to assist Chesed Shel Emeth, including more than $100,000 raised by Muslim activists. Online fundraising drives for Mount Carmel are ongoing as well. \u00a0Volunteers including Vice President Mike Pence pitched in to clean up the damage in Missouri, and a similar effort is being organized in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Trinkley likewise advised against forbidding fences and gates. A fence is ineffective, he said, unless it\u2019s 8\u00a0feet tall and topped by protective wire \u2014 features that can intimidate grieving families.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point, if you start making a cemetery look like a fortress, you\u2019ve defeated most religious goals of making a cemetery a place of commemoration, visitation,\u201d Trinkley said. \u201cYou want to be welcoming so people can go to seek solace and comfort.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Chesed Shel Emeth, director Anita Feigenbaum has begun a security assessment on how to make the site less vulnerable to attacks. But though the vandalism happened during a weekend, she said closing the cemetery gates on Sundays in the name of safety might be a step too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people can\u2019t make it during the week,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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