US Muslims have raised over $138,000 to help rebuild the sacred spaces for Jewish communities in St. Louis and Philadelphia, both of which were attacked by unknown vandals.

A second Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia, U.S. was vandalized on Sunday, less than one week after police discovered similar damage at a St. Louis cemetery. The American Muslim community has offered an outpouring of moral and financial support via a viral crowdfunding campaign.

The LaunchGood campaign has over 4,600 backers, and celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and J.K. Rowling have also voiced their support for the rebuilding effort.

Tarek El-Messidi, one of the organizers of the campaign said, “I hope our Muslim community, just as we did last week with St. Louis, will continue to stand with our Jewish cousins to fight this type of hatred and bigotry.”

El-Messidi lives in Philadelphia and walked through the vandalized cemetery where he saw people huddled around the vandalized gravestones, crying.

“We’re in a very different time in the U.S. when people cannot even rest in peace after they pass away,” he said.

The Jewish Community Center Association of North America has reported that Jewish community centers and day schools have received 90 threats across 30 U.S. states and a Canadian province since the start of the year.

Source: dailysabah.com