A Jewish cemetery in the southern Polish town of Olkusz was vandalized recently, with several tombstones destroyed and burned and the words "Get out, Jews" sprayed on gravestones at the site. There is no guard at the cemetery, which made it easy for the vandals to carry out the anti-Semitic crime. One of the tombstones was spray-painted with the name "Jan Pawel," an apparent reference to Pope John Paul II. Nearby resident Adam Szydlowski said he was shocked by the terrible desecration of the cemetery. Johnny Daniels, founder of Mimaamakim (From the Depths) -- an organization dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and education -- told Israel Hayom that "it is shocking and troubling that these things are happening in 2015. I will meet with the local mayor and the heads of the church in the town and I will ask them to help us clean and repair the cemetery and to ensure such a thing never happens again. We demand that municipal and church officials address this incident." The first record of Jewish life in Olkusz dates back to the 14th century. In 1926, eight of the 24 city council members were Jewish, including the deputy mayor. With the Nazi invasion in 1939, the Jews of Olkusz were rounded up and taken to Auschwitz concentration camp.
