[Photos below.] Vandals have desecrated the kever of the Lelover Rebbe, Rav Shimon Nosson Nota Biderman zt”l, on Har Hazeisim. Lelover chassidim were shocked to discover the desecration when they arrived at the kever today at about noon. The tombstone on the kever had just recently been erected following the shloshim of the Rebbe, who was niftar on the night of Yom Kippur.
It is assumed that Arab residents of the area carried out the vandalism.
Har Hazeisim has seen this kind of vandalism before. Members of chevrei kadisha have discovered a number of broken tombstones in the past.
It is not clear in this case whether the attackers knew that they were desecrating the kever of a Rebbe or whether they chose the kever at random. One source suggests that that Arabs living nearby had observed the mass levaya and kevurah after the Rebbe’s petirah and thus realized that this was a high profile kever, so to speak, since it is the burial place of a Jewish leader.
Upon learning of the incident, MK Meir Porush cancelled his prior commitments and made his way to Har Hazeisim to see the vandalism for himself. Porush also contacted the police and informed them of what had happened.
This morning, a group of chassidim had davened at the kever and say that it was intact. Thus, the attack must have taken place after those chassidim left and before the second group arrived at about noon.
For photos, see below:
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{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel/Photos courtesy of Bechadrei Chareidim}
