Kever of Mrs. Sarah Schenirer, A”h, Desecrated

By Hamodia Staff

The Jewish community in Krakow, Poland, is in shock as the kever of renowned mechaneches Mrs. Sarah Schenirer, a”h, founder of the Beis Yaakov network for girls’ education, was desecrated.

Discovered Monday morning, the matzeivah was vandalized and scattered into pieces.

Local sources suggest a link to ongoing restoration work near the Plaszow concentration camp, located near Krakow, and the destruction of the Jewish cemetery by the Nazis.

Non-Jewish residents made the discovery and promptly reported it to local authorities.

Alena Yakubovich, the head of the Jewish community, expressed deep dismay at the vandalism and condemned the act, calling for an investigation into the perpetrators. Meir Bulka, the head of the Dor LeDor organization for preserving Jewish heritage in Eastern Europe, emphasized the need for enhanced protection of heritage sites in Poland. He said, “We are currently working to restore the site and urge the police to safeguard it and bring those responsible to justice.”

This incident is not the first time the kever has faced desecration. In March 2010, vandals defaced a Holocaust memorial in the former Plaszow concentration camp with antisemitic graffiti. The troubling act included German words meaning “Jews out” and an English phrase praising Hitler. As efforts to restore the site are underway, the community calls for increased security measures and accountability for those behind the vandalism.