For The Second Time This Summer, Holocaust Memorial In Boston Is Vandalized

A 17-year-old has been charged with vandalizing the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston — the second time this summer the memorial has been vandalized.

Prosecutors say the unnamed Malden teenager was arraigned in juvenile court Tuesday. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to stay away from the memorial and follow mental health guidance.

The teen is accused of throwing a rock to smash a glass panel on the memorial Monday evening. Police say the boy was detained by two bystanders until police arrived.

He was charged with willful and malicious destruction of property.

Police say another suspect, 37-year-old Said Bouzit, faces a vandalism charge after damaging flowers placed at the memorial Tuesday morning. Bouzit provided the address of a Boston mental health facility as his residence.

Monday's incident echoed an earlier instance of vandalism.

In June, authorities say James Isaac used a rock to shatter a glass panel on one of the memorial's six 54-foot-high towers. Isaac has pleaded not guilty to vandalism charges.

The repaired memorial was rededicated in July.

The Jewish Community Relations Council and Combined Jewish Philanthropies released a statement Monday saying that they are "appalled and saddened" by the latest vandalism.

"The images of Nazis marching in the streets of America over the weekend in Charlottesville and now shattered glass once again at this sacred space in Boston are an affront to our Jewish community and to all those who stand-up against bigotry, hatred and anti-Semitism," the statement said.

It added: "We will remain resilient and will have a timeline for rebuilding the memorial once we have assessed the damage."

At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said there are many unanswered questions about Monday's incident, but there is no place for hate in the city.

"We don't know exactly what the motives are, what happened here, but we are [worried] that this is a resurgence of hatred that we are seeing here in this country," Walsh said.

On Monday, Walsh and others condemned the rally of white nationalists in Virginia that turned violent over the weekend.

Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter, whose parents and brother were killed at the Treblinka camp nearly 75 years ago, said the memorial is a special and holy place.

"The pain that we the Holocaust survivors are feeling and suffering because of the damage to our memorial will never go away," Arbeiter said.

With reporting by The Associated Press and WBUR's Steve Brown and Benjamin Swasey