Abbey vandalized in Jerusalem

January 19, 2016

Anti-Christian statements such as “death to the heathen Christians, the enemies of Israel” were written in Hebrew on the doors and walls of Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem.

Greek Orthodox and Armenian cemeteries in the vicinity were also vandalized, according to the Benedictine abbey’s subprior.

“The monks of the Dormition Abbey once again had to endure an aggressive gathering with loud music and chanting by Jewish right-wing radicals in our immediate neighborhood in the area of the tomb of David,” Father Nikodemus Schnabel said in a statement. “This particular kind of party has been thrown almost every Saturday night more than three years.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the vandalism, which took place during the night of January 16-17. Israel’s public security minister said that “we will show zero tolerance to whoever harms the democratic foundations of Israel and its freedom of religion and we will apprehend those who carried out this heinous act,” according to report from a leading Israeli news site.

Among the other statements painted on the abbey were “let his [Jesus’] name and memory be obliterated,” “Christians to hell,” and “the revenge of the children of Israel is on its way.”

Father Schnabel called upon police to monitor the area with security cameras, as was “promised to us in the summer of 2013 by the Israeli security authorities after the cars of the monastery were badly damaged and several hate graffiti were discovered.”

 

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Further information:

• Presseerklärung/Media Statement (Dormition Abbey)
• New act of vandalism targets Dormition Abbey (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
• Anti-Chrisitian grafitti found on Dormition Abbey in Jerualem (Ynetnews)