"This ugly act of vandalism where our ancestors rest in peace, and where everyone thinks of their spirituality, their connection to past generations, and human values, is insulting, frightening, and unacceptable in our society," representatives of the Estonian Jewish Community said on Tuesday.

Unknown perpetrators pushed over five gravestones and spray-painted a swastika on the large stones close by the Lille bus stop. Upon discovering the damage, the Jewish Community reported the incident to the authorities, ERR's Estonian-language news wrote.

Chairwoman of the Estonian Jewish Community, Alla Jakobson, said that she finds it hard to believe that these acts of vandalism were committed deliberately on one of Estonia's public holidays.

The PPA have started an investigation, she said. "I'm convinced that the investigation will identify the individuals whose acts stir up resentfulness and pain," Jakobson added.

Tallinn's Jewish cemetery dates back 110 years. It is the location of a memorial dedicated to the Jewish victims of the 1941 Soviet deportations as well as to victims of the persecution of Estonian Jews during the German occupation in World War II.

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