Vice President Pence helps restore vandalized Jewish cemetery
“We condemn this vile act of vandalism”
As Professor Jacobson noted, the elite media used the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Missouri as another opportunity to attack President Trump.
However, media drama won’t restore the 154 toppled and damaged headstones. So, in an inspiring move, Vice President Mike Pence joined the clean-up efforts.
Vice President Mike Pence rolled up his sleeves and joined in cleanup efforts Wednesday at a vandalized Jewish cemetery outside St. Louis, the latest in White House outreach after weeks of silence about harassment of Jewish communities.
Pence, accompanied by Missouri governor Eric Greitens, who is Jewish, made an unannounced visit to Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery, where more than 150 headstones were toppled over the weekend.
…Governor Greitens, standing next to Pence and speaking through a bullhorn, told volunteers at the synagogue, “we are going to demonstrate that this vile act of desecration is not who we are.”
After the formal remarks at the cemetery, the vice president and the governor listened to a prayer from a rabbi and then cleared brush with volunteers.
Pence had been close to the site earlier in the day, on a tour of the Fabrik Cat distribution center, and offered an unprompted message at the end of the visit.
“We condemn this vile act of vandalism and those who perpetrate it in the strongest possible terms,” he said to applause, before recalling his recent visit to a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany. “We saw firsthand what happens when hatred runs rampant in a society.”
Pence told the story of the Americans who liberated the camp and how welcome they were in the eyes of the Jews who were imprisoned there.
Funds have been streaming in for repairs, and monies have been set aside as a reward for information that will lead to the identification of those involved in the vandalism
Muslim groups have launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in University City, Missouri, with a goal of $20,000. It has raised nearly $75,000.
…Investigators have been reviewing surveillance video to determine who was responsible. The Anti-Defamation League offered a $10,000 reward for the vandals’ arrest and conviction. Police said there was no evidence it was a hate crime, but haven’t ruled out the possibility.
Let’s hope the identity of the perpetrators of the vandalism and the spate of threats against Jewish centers are discovered soon.
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Comments
Hey, Democrats, this is what a Public Servant looks like!
Good example of a leader too.
Pence is rock solid on stuff like this. So many times these photos or video bites are politically driven photo-ops without much or any sincerity behind them. With Pence, the sincerity is there.
Very impressed with Mike Pence, as always.
The Governor, Eric Greitens is also a really interesting guy. He’s basically a middle class Jewish public school kid from St Louis who, through really hard work no doubt, became an All American academic, a Rhodes scholar, a Lt Commander in the Naval SEAL, and now one of the nation’s youngest Governors (42).
He’s also someone who, like many Jewish people, was raised as a Truman / JFK Democrat. But later in life, he realized that liberals had really nothing to offer except higher taxes and more government and he switched party affiliations and became a Republican. While Missouri has been trending Republican in recent Presidential elections, the last governor was a Democrat, so his party affiliation switch and victory makes it a solid Republican state now.
Now that’s awesome! Real caring, not some stunt to for own gain! Certainly helps put the lie to a lot of the antisemitism charges being raised against the Trump administration.
Pence finally found a job Obama could do.