Former Chicago area reporter speaks out after parents' headstones vandalized at Jewish cemetery

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (WLS) -- Earlier this month, vandals struck a Jewish cemetery in northern suburban Waukegan, leaving multiple headstones with swastikas painted on them.

A man whose parents' headstone was desecrated in the attack is speaking out.

He may also be a familiar face to some viewers.

Morris and Dorothy Yellen lived most of their lives in Waukegan, where they raised five children, including son Larry Yellen, who is a former reporter for Fox 32 News.

"When I was covering stories in Waukegan, I would often make a quick pit stop at the cemetery to say hello to my parents," Yellen said.

Yellen's parents are buried at Am Echod Jewish Cemetery, which was targeted two weeks ago by vandals.

Red swastikas were spray painted on 16 tombstones and nearly two dozen more were defaced by other graffiti. ABC7 has blurred out those images.

The headstone for Yellen's parents was one of those targeted.

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He went there the next day to make note of other families' headstones that were vandalized.

"These are all the people I grew up with and went to synagogue with, and they came to my bar mitzvah and celebrated with me," said Yellen.

During Yellen's visit, he found City of Waukegan crews power washing the graffiti, however, in some cases the pink paint remains.

Yellen said anti-Semitism is more pronounced than ever and is part of a disturbing trend.

"Whoever did this had no idea that the people buried there devoted their lives to making the United States a great country, to making Waukegan a great place to live," Yellen said.

While the crime is being investigated, Yellen said it's important for the perpetrator to know who was targeted.

"To put a swastika on a headstone -- when the person buried there fought in WWII, was a bombardier in a B17 and helped defeat the Nazis, and lost numerous relatives in the holocaust -- it's just shameful and cowardly," Yellen said.

Several organizations have resources to help fight hate.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center has a "confronting hate tool kit" that you can download from their website.

National organizations, like the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish United Fund, also have resources on their websites.