Grave desecrator escapes jail
A 20-year-old man, found guilty of vandalising more than 20 historic Jewish graves at Grafton cemetery in New Zealand has escaped a custodial sentence writes Debra Green.
A charge or willful damage could carry a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment in New Zealand. Instead, Landmark has been ordered to pay $3,000 to cover the cost of repairs to the desecrated graves he vandalised last October. Attacking the graves with graffiti swastikas and the number 88 – code for ‘Heil, Hitler’ – Judge Collins condemned Landmark’s actions saying: “I seriously doubt you have any insight into how distressing the spraying of the symbol of that regime is to New Zealanders”.
Jewish Council President, Stephen Goodman described the attack on the historic graves, with some dating back to the 1880s, as a “wanton act of anti-Semitic vandalism”.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
Israeli ambassador to New Zealand at the time, Shemi Tzur, slammed the attack as a “vile act of blind hatred for Jews and for the sole Jewish state”.
Landmark was not the only one involved in the attack – another man, Robert Moulden, pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to community service. Local Jews organised a restorative justice programme for Moulden, who has no family, arranging for him to attend a Shabbat dinner and learn about the Holocaust.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)