The Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem was attacked by an anti-Christian group on the night of January 16-17. Greek Orthodox and Armenian cemeteries in the vicinity were also vandalized, according to the Benedictine abbey’s subprior.
After the destruction at the Abbey, the group wrote with paint phrases such as “death to the heathen Christians, the enemies of Israel”, “let his [Jesus’] name and memory be obliterated,” “Christians to hell,” and “the revenge of the children of Israel is on its way.” on the doors and walls of Abbey.
“The monks of the Dormition Abbey once again had to endure an aggressive gathering with loud music and chanting by Jewish right-wing radicals in our immediate neighborhood in the area of the tomb of David,” Father Nikodemus Schnabel said in a statement. “This particular kind of party has been thrown almost every Saturday night more than three years.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in condemnation of the vandalization act said that “we will show zero tolerance to whoever harms the democratic foundations of Israel and its freedom of religion and we will apprehend those who carried out this heinous act,” according to report from a leading Israeli news site.
Father Schnabel called upon police to monitor the area with security cameras, as was “promised to us in the summer of 2013 by the Israeli security authorities after the cars of the monastery were badly damaged and several hate graffiti were discovered.”
