A look at anti-Semitic threats, vandalism

Jewish community centers, schools and cemeteries have been dealing with waves of bomb threats and vandalism this year.

Most of these crimes remain unsolved, though a man in St. Louis was charged Friday with eight of the threats made against Jewish institutions as well as a bomb threat to New York’s AntiDefamation League. Here is a look at some other incidents in recent weeks:

Rochester, New York

At least a dozen defaced and toppled headstones were discovered Thursday at the Waad Hakolel Cemetery in New York’s third-largest city. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said state police will investigate.

Philadelphia

More than 100 headstones were found overturned Feb. 26 at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said those types of acts of vandalism must be treated as hate crimes.

Evansville, Indiana

The rabbi at Temple Adath B’nai Israel, in the southwest corner of Indiana, discovered a hole in a classroom window Feb. 28 from an apparent gunshot. Rabbi Gary Mazo said the shooter would have had to fire from a playground in the back of the building.

St. Louis

More than 100 headstones were desecrated the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19 at the Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery in the University City suburb of St. Louis. Vice President Mike Pence and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens joined volunteers

in helping clean up the vandalism.

Orlando, Florida

Parents scrambled to remove their children from a preschool at the city’s Jewish Community Center after a bomb threat was called in on Jan. 4. The same day, Orlando’s Chabad center received a threatening call.

Birmingham, Alabama

The Levite Jewish Community Center received its third bomb threat of the year on Feb. 27. It was among Jewish Community Centers in a dozen states, including Illinois, New York, Texas and Florida, that were threatened. On Jan. 9, in the first wave of such threats, 15 JCCs received calls threatening bombings.

JACQUELINE LARMA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community survey damaged headstones at Mount Carmel Cemetery on Feb. 27 in Philadelphia. More than 100 headstones have been vandalized at the Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, damage discovered less than a week after...

JACQUELINE LARMA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Philadelphia Police walk through Mount Carmel Cemetery on Feb. 27 in Philadelphia. More than 100 headstones have been vandalized at the Jewish cemetery, authorities said.