"Where they burn books, they will also burn people": The vandalism at the library in Jerusalem

Four teenagers vandalized a community library in a public garden in the Ramat Denya neighborhood of Jerusalem and set fire to dozens of books. A resident who tried to stop them claimed they threw stones at him. The teenagers were located and taken for questioning. The municipality ordered the installation of security cameras near public libraries in the city.

On Sunday, September 27, 2026, a severe act of vandalism occurred in the Ramat Denya neighborhood of Jerusalem: four teenagers, two boys and two girls, vandalized a community library in a public garden and set fire to dozens of books inside. A neighborhood resident walking his dog encountered them, described that one of them set some of the books on fire, tried to prevent it, and threatened to call the police. According to him, in response, the teenagers attempted to flee and threw stones at him. Neighborhood representatives and city council members Yael Biton de Lange and Laura Wharton arrived at the scene and updated the Jerusalem District Commander, Superintendent Avshalom Peled. Mayor Moshe Lion instructed the security department to install security cameras near community libraries in public gardens. The teenagers were located and transferred for questioning. Residents noted that this is not the first incident: last month, books disappeared from the same library, and in the Ramot, Baka, and Har Homa neighborhoods, similar events occur regularly. On social media, there was outrage over the recurrence of the phenomenon and the lack of action by the municipality and police. Council member Biton de Lange called for ongoing cooperation among all parties.