Another Desecration of Jewish Cemetery in Ioannina
June Samaras
From: kehila_ked...@netzero.net
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:37:16 +0000
Subject: Another Desecration of Jewish Cemetery in Ioannina
To:
July 16, 2009
Update on desecrations in Jewish Cemetery of Ioannina
On July 9th, the Jewish Cemetery of Ioannina was, once again, desecrated. Two additional tombstones were vandalized. While this most recent desecration was not as severe as that on June 2nd, nor the one that took place in January of 2009, the fact that there have been five such anti-Semitic desecrations in the last few years has caused alarm, not only, obviously, in the Jewish Community of Ioannina and in other Jewish communities in Greece, but also among Yanniotes here in the United States who have family members buried in the cemetery.
There is no doubt that these desecrations are anti-Semitic, and that they are the work of local Neo Fascists who have publicly demonstrated in the city. Many, including Moses Eliasof, President of the Jewish Community of Ioannina, feel that these outrages are a reflection of a rise in right-wing Fascist groups in Greece who appeal to the fears of a certain segment of the population and play upon their fear (of immigrants, foreigners, those of other faiths and, simply put, everyone “who is not like us.”)
While we agree with the reasons behind these defilations of the Jewish cemetery in Ioannina, we feel the most important thing is to put a stop to these desecrations.
Why has the European Union not condemned these outrages? Why has the Greek Parliament not spoken out? Why has the Greek Government not made a strong condemnation of these acts of anti-Semitism? Why have international Jewish organizations such as the ADL, World Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee and the Weisenthal Foundation (who, in the past conveniently used the 2004 Olympics for fund-raising in their advisory not to visit Greece because of anti-Semitism) not rallied in support of the small Jewish Community of Ioannina?
In November, the European Council of Jewish Museums will meet for the first time in Greece. Hopefully, they will publicly address the shame of Ioannina.
The local police department has now increased security at the cemetery, something that gives us no comfort since Marino Garneli, the Director of Police from Epirus, has consistently ignored the plight of the Jewish Cemetery. This temporary increase in security will not solve the problem. Either the police must commit themselves to 24 hour security, much as now is provided in both Athens and Salonika at the local synagogues, or the height of the protective exterior wall must be increased so that no-one can enter the cemetery at will.
Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos
Museum Director
Kehila Kedosha Janina
280 Broome Street
NYC, NY 10002
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