A Jewish cemetery in Rochester, New York, had at least five headstones toppled, New York and Jewish media reported on Thursday evening.
Despite the discovery of the toppled headstones at the Waad Hakolel Cemetery following the recent desecration of Jewish graves in Philadelphia and Missouri ,the nonprofit responsible for the graveyard is not rushing to describe the vandalism as "a hate crime."
- Its president, Michael Phillips, told the Democrat & Chronicle ,"I don't want to label it anti-Semitism. I don't think there's any proof of that."
Phillips pointed out that at the Waad Hakolel Cemetery (also known as the Stone Road Cemetery), there had been no defacing with swastikas or anti-Semitic graffiti.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who announced Thursday his upcoming trip to Israel ,released a statement reading, "New York has zero tolerance for bias or discrimination of any kind, and we will always stand united in the face of anti-Semitism and divisiveness. It is repugnant to everything we believe as New Yorkers, and we will continue to do everything in our power to bring to justice those responsible for these cowardly attacks on the values we hold dear."
The Rochester Police are investigating.