Anti-Semitic slogan carved by new Jewish memorial stones in Lochem

The word “Jew” and the Star of David were carved near recently placed Jewish memorial stones, Stolpersteine, in Lochem. According to the Stolpersteine Lochem foundation, this was an act of anti-Semitism. The incident happened during the early hours of Saturday morning. The resident filed a police report.

The foundation assumes the perpetrator carved the slogan in the hall of the home on Walderstraat 12 because of the memorial stones. They were placed on September 28 to commemorate the residents of the house who lived there in 1942 until they fell victim to the Nazis. They were murdered in Auschwitz and Theresienstadt because of their Jewish background. On September 28, the house was also defaced with a Star of David.

“The board expresses its disgust at this and wants the responsible authorities - municipality, police, public prosecutor - to make every effort to get this act punished,” the foundation wrote on its website. “It shows once again that freedom, tolerance, and justice are not things to be taken for granted.”

The municipality of Lochem said that it reported the incident to the Israel Information and Documentation Center (CIDI). Mayor Sebastiaan van ‘t Erve is disgusted by the anti-Semitism. “There is no room for anti-Semitism in the municipality of Lochem. The fact that this has turned up in a place where we have placed Stolpersteine is a completely unacceptable act of hate. I am glad that the resident has reported it to the police. I hope the police and the judiciary will find the perpetrator and punish them to set an example. Never again.”