A memorial stone at the old cemetery in Dermbach, Germany dedicated to the memory of Jewish families has been destroyed by a vandal.
It is not known who committed the damage. The city filed a complain with the police who are continuing to investigate, the inSüdthüringen news site reported.
Local historian Hans Peter Mötzung was quoted describing the memorial stone as being badly damaged.
“There is a crack from top to bottom, one corner is broken out. We noticed this on Friday morning,” Dermbach Mayor Thomas Hugk said.
The city hired a stonemason to examine the memorial in order to assess its condition.
Hugk said that the stonemason found that the memorial “is completely destroyed.”
The memorial stone contains the names of Jewish families who lived in Dermbach. It was built in 2018 through the efforts of Mötzung.
“As a municipality, we condemn this destruction in the strongest possible terms,” Hugk said.
He called for whoever was responsible to be apprehended and held to account. Police are asking for witnesses to come forward with any information leading to the identity of the vandal.
No further details have been released by authorities.