9 November 2004
Holocaust memorial vandalized in downtown Brest
A group of unidentified persons vandalized a Holocaust memorial in central Brest late on November 5.
"Unknown vandals set fire to artificial wreaths, scattered natural flowers laid at the memorial, as well as seriously damaged the image of the Star of David," Yakov Basin, vice chairman of the Union of
Belarusian Jewish Associations and Communities (UBJAC), said in an interview with BelaPAN.
The black-marble memorial was unveiled at the intersection between Dzerzhinskogo and Kuibysheva Streets in 1992 in commemoration of some 34,000 Jews slaughtered by Nazis in Brest during World War II. "The monument was erected near a nine-storied residential building built on the site where 5,000 Jews were executed in 1941," according to Mr. Basin. The memorial has been vandalized five times since it was unveiled. "Unidentified vandals painted swastikas and the Stars of David hanging on gallowses, as well as wrote some threats three years ago,"
Mr. Basin noted. It took police very long to find one of the perpetrators. "However, he was not penalized and soon fled Brest," the UBJAC vice chairman said.
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