By Kevin Aldridge
Enquirer staff writer

EVANSTON - Nearly 100 shattered monuments - some so heavy they made indentations in the ground when they fell - lay scattered Friday less than 25 yards from the front gate at United Jewish Cemetery.

Vandals pushed over and broke some 95 grave markers, some dating back to the 1860s, at the United Jewish Cemetery on Montgomery Rd. in Evanston. (Enquirer photo/TONY JONES)

The damage was done by vandals who scaled the Evanston cemetery's 5-foot fence a week ago. Cemetery officials estimated the damage at about $15,000 to $20,000.

"Desecrating the graves of loved ones, that is something that you just don't do," said Superintendent Bill Riegel.

Police have made no arrests, nor do they have any suspects. It was the second time in two years that the historic Montgomery Road cemetery had been attacked by vandals.

"Our (groundskeepers) treat each headstone and grave just like they were members of their own family," said Ernie Waits Jr., assistant superintendent of the cemetery. "Every man felt a real personal sense of loss and betrayal. It was like someone had come into our home and destroyed it."

Several of the sandstone and marble markers - many dating back to the 1860s - are irreplaceable, Waits said. Maintenance crews have managed to reset some of the tombstones, but larger, heavier ones will require the use of cranes and forklifts to upright.

"Most of them were in the older part of the cemetery and those are usually the (headstones) that are the most fragile," Riegel said.

"Quite a few monuments have been broken into as many as five pieces."

"We would love to find the person responsible if for no other reason than to ask them: 'Why?' " Waits said. "Because there is no reason that we've discovered yet. There was no graffiti or hate markers. There weren't even beer cans or cigarette butts left by reckless youth."

Started in 1850, the 10-acre United Jewish Cemetery contains the gravesites of Rabbi Isaac M. Wise, a religious scholar who founded Hebrew Union College and served as its president from 1875 until his death in 1900, and former Cincinnati Mayor Murray Seasongood, in addition to a number of pioneers. It is the largest of six cemeteries under the auspices of the United Jewish Cemeteries Association.

A year ago, vandals tipped over and broke about 38 gravestones at the cemetery.

"Whether or not there is a connection we don't know," Waits said.

The non-profit cemetery operates on a shoestring budget and can't afford security guards, watchdogs or motion sensors, Riegel said. Cemetery officials said neighborhood residents help to keep an eye on the property, especially at night.

Cemetery officials have hired a company to repair the tombstones and restore them to their proper location.

Riegel said any donations to help defray the cost of damages would be appreciated.

For information, call 961-0178.

Rewards offered

United Jewish Cemetery Superintendent Bill Riegel said the cemetery is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the cemetery vandalism. Crime Stoppers (352-3040) is offering another $500.

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