--- description: A Muslim-American group has helped raise more than $77,000 to help a Jewish cemetery in Missouri repair hundreds of desecrated tombstones. title: Jewish Families Heartbroken Over Cemetery Vandalism Get Support From Muslims image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta92bc839bfb64f6a/6988bb58f887dc6387e99299/jewish-cemetery-vandalism.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Missouri](/tag/missouri/) ## Missouri Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # ‘Love Heals.’ Jewish Families Heartbroken Over Cemetery Vandalism Find Comfort in Muslim Supporters  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:59 PM CUTPublished: Feb 22, 2017 6:00 PM CUT  Spencer Pensoneau, left, Ron Klump and Philip Weiss of Rosenbloom Monument Company re-set stones at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City on Feb. 21, 2017 where almost 200 gravestones were vandalized over the weekend in St. Louis. Spencer Pensoneau, left, Ron Klump and Philip Weiss of Rosenbloom Monument Company re-set stones at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City on Feb. 21, 2017 where almost 200 gravestones were vandalized over the weekend in St. Louis.St. Louis Post-Dispatch—TNS via Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 14, 2023 10:59 PM CUTPublished: Feb 22, 2017 6:00 PM CUT A Muslim-American group in the U.S. helped [raise more than $113,000](https://www.launchgood.com/project/muslims%5Funite%5Fto%5Frepair%5Fjewish%5Fcemetery#/ "undefined") in a single day to help a historic Jewish cemetery in Missouri [repair hundreds of gravesites desecrated](http://time.com/4676540/antisemitism-missouri-vandalism-jewish-cemetery/ "undefined") in what is being condemned as an apparent act of anti-Semitism. The overwhelming support has brought some comfort to those whose relatives are buried at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in St. Louis, where [more than 150 tombstones](https://www.facebook.com/ChesedShelEmethSociety/posts/1217950301606941 "undefined") were toppled and damaged this week. “To me, that outpouring is love,” said Barbara Perle, whose grandparents and great-grandparents are among her relatives buried at the site. “In my heart, love heals.” Perle, 66, who now lives in California, said she “felt heartbroken” when she learned of the vandalism in her hometown. She said she has not been able to find out whether her relatives’ sites were disturbed because the cemetery’s phone line has been inundated with calls. Regardless, she said such a hateful act still directly affects her. “This desecration is a devastating thing to happen to anybody’s family,” she told TIME on Wednesday. “It was particularly devastating for me personally. These are beloved family members.” Perle and others who have loved ones buried at the cemetery say they’re deeply touched by the online fundraiser, organized by two Muslim-Americans, which has been collecting an average of $1,000 every 20 minutes. The donation page was started by Muslim advocate Linda Sarsour and [Tarek El-Messidi](http://time.com/4143416/san-bernardino-shooting-muslims-donald-trump-fundraising/ "undefined"), who also founded CelebrateMercy, a nonprofit that teaches about Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. “We just want to send a message that whatever haters and extremists try to destroy, we will rebuild,” El-Messidi, 36, told TIME. “Seeing this happen was just disgusting. It shows that when you put all the politics aside, we share humanity together. We want everyone to live in peace and we want everyone to rest in peace.” Andy Ulrich, whose grandparents are also buried at the cemetery, called the vandalism a “day of darkness” and said the collaboration between Jews and Muslims, who are [often presented in opposition](http://time.com/4651298/holocaust-memorial-day-muslims-jews/ "undefined"), sheds light on a message of unity. “I always say it takes something horrible to bring out the best in Americans,” he said. “I think that there’s more similarity in people than differences.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4679048/jewish-cemetery-vandalism-muslims-fundraiser/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4679048/jewish-cemetery-vandalism-muslims-fundraiser/"},"headline":"‘Love Heals.’ Jewish Families Heartbroken Over Cemetery Vandalism Find Comfort in Muslim Supporters","datePublished":"2017-02-22T18:00:49.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T22:59:53.000Z","description":"\"Whatever haters and extremists try to destroy, we will rebuild\"","url":"https://time.com/4679048/jewish-cemetery-vandalism-muslims-fundraiser/","keywords":["Missouri","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta92bc839bfb64f6a/6988bb58f887dc6387e99299/jewish-cemetery-vandalism.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta92bc839bfb64f6a/6988bb58f887dc6387e99299/jewish-cemetery-vandalism.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jewish cemetery vandalized","caption":"Jewish cemetery vandalized","creditText":"St. Louis Post-Dispatch—TNS via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/missouri/","name":"Missouri"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4679048/jewish-cemetery-vandalism-muslims-fundraiser/","name":"‘Love Heals.’ Jewish Families Heartbroken Over Cemetery Vandalism Find Comfort in Muslim Supporters"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Vice President Mike Pence Visited the Vandalized Jewish Cemetery","description":"Vice President Mike Pence is visiting a suburban St. Louis Jewish cemetery where more than 150 headstones were damaged earlier in the week. 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