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Vandals damage dozens of headstones at historic Jewish cemetery

Posted at 6:20 PM, Feb 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-20 20:20:37-05

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. – Investigators are working to determine who vandalized dozens of headstones at a historic Jewish cemetery near St. Louis.

Police would not say if they considered the vandalism at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City to be a hate crime or not, according to KTVI. It is believed there was some organization behind the crime, meaning this was not the act of one individual.

More than 100 headstones were damaged. Video shot from above the cemetery shows scores of headstones toppled to the ground.

The investigation coincides with yet another round of bomb threats at Jewish community centers across the nation.

According to its website, the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery at Hanley Road and Olive Boulevard dates back to 1893, when the land was purchased for its construction.

Police said they're reviewing security camera footage from the area, but no arrests have been made as of Monday afternoon.