‘Disturbance’ at Holocaust Memorial
Boston-area Jewish groups are sounding the alarm about a possible “disturbance” at the New England Holocaust Memorial, as police said they will open up an investigation into the incident.
A circulating video on Twitter from over the weekend shows a group of young men apparently kicking the glass wall of the memorial in downtown Boston.
The group of young men noticed the person filming and approached him, making anti-Semitic threats of violence, according to the organization StopAntisemitism.
“Anytime something happens at that site, which is so sacred to so many, it’s really a heightened concern,” Peggy Shukur, Anti-Defamation League New England’s interim regional director, told the Herald on Monday.
“The history of desecration there is a reminder that these things can take place,” she added.
The memorial has been vandalized multiple times, including twice during the summer of 2017.
Nothing appeared to be damaged at the memorial following this recent incident Friday night.
“CJP and @BostonJCRC are aware of an active police investigation about a disturbance at the New England Holocaust Memorial around 9:30 p.m. Friday night,” Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston tweeted.
“We will not stand for any acts of antisemitism in our community, especially not the desecration of memories of the victims of the Holocaust, and will continue to monitor the situation,” CJP added. “We ask any member of the community who witnessed the event or may have information from that night to please come forward and contact @bostonpolice.” Boston police was generating an incident report on Monday, according to a police spokesperson.
The police department’s Civil Rights Division investigates “bias-related incidents and crimes in which citizens’ civil rights have been infringed upon by violence, threats or harassment.”
The Civil Rights Division’s phone number is 617343-4527.