Nazi Collaborator Memorial In Montco Cemetery To Be Covered Up

ELKINS PARK, PA — After a memorial to Ukrainian Nazi collaborators in an Elkins Park cemetery came under scrutiny, officials said it will be covered up.

St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery in Elkins Park features a memorial dedicated to a Ukrainian Waffen-SS division that fought alongside the Nazis in World War II.

The memorial came to attention over the past few weeks, with Jewish organizations calling for it to be removed from the cemetery.

Now, the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia is taking action.

>>>RELATED: Anti-Semitic Propaganda Found In 2 Abington Neighborhoods: Police<<<

The archeparchy Tuesday said the memorial will be temporarily covered.

While the memorial is covered, officials will continue holding discussions "to prevent vandalism and with the goal of conducting an objective dialogue with sensitivity to all concerned."

According to the American Jewish Committee, democratic governments in Central and Eastern Europe established after the fall of communism have never "been forced to openly confront their own Holocaust-era past and the role of local collaborators and perpetrators."

"In fact, many first saw independence as an opportunity to rehabilitate wartime fascist leaders, honoring their anti-Communist struggles while ignoring their documented role in the murder of Jews," a statement from the committee reads. "In the years since, many have come to recognize that this was wrong, and with the help of international historical commissions and Holocaust scholars, they are correcting these misconceptions."

The committee called the Elkins Park memorial "one of the worst examples of this."

According to the committee, the memorial was erected 30 years ago, around the time of communism's demise in Europe.