The Jewish cemetery of Pancevo, located in the street Josif Marinković, a small town beside Belgrade, was vandalized on the night of Friday, December 8th 2017.

47 Jewish tombs were profaned some of which date back to the 18th century,

Representatives of Jewish community informed the directors of the regional police force of Pancevo about this odious and barbarian act. 

The first tracks of Jewish presence in Pancevo go back to the years 1730.  In 1729, the provincial administration gave David Löwy and his family permission to settle in Pančevo. In 1730, Jacob Solomon, a Jewish cereal merchant of Pančevo, arrived by boat at Sremska Mitrovica where he was registered by the customs officers.

The graves vary in architectural style, according to the moment when they were set up. Some graves are without ornamental elements while others are more elaborate using Jewish symbols. Inscriptions are in Hebrew, German and Serbian.

B’nai B’rith Europe demands from the Serbian government that everything should be done as soon as possible in order to arrest and judge the authors of this odious act according to the horror of their action. It is as well appropriate that all measures should be taken to protect the Jewish community. If it was, so far, necessary to protect the lives of the Jews of Europe, should we start to consider what is now necessary to protect our deaths?

More than ever, mobilization and vigilance must be equal to the scale of this war declared almost everywhere in Europe against the Jews and the values of democracy.

President of B’nai B’rith Europe, Serge Dahan, is outraged and condemns with anger and emotion this vile act and this insult to memory. He addresses a fraternal thought and his support to the families who gather themselves on the graves of their parents and to the friends of the Jewish cemetery of Pancevo.