Jewish cemetery
AJewish cemetery(Hebrew:בית עלמיןbeit alminorבית קברותbeit kvarot) is acemeterywhereJewsare buried in keeping withJewish tradition.Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, includingbeit kevarot(house of sepulchers),beit almin(eternal home) orbeitolam [haba],(house of afterlife), thebeit chayyim(house of the living) andbeit shalom(house of peace).
The land of the cemetery is considered holy and a special consecration ceremony takes place upon its inauguration. According to Jewish tradition, Jewish burial grounds are sacred sites and must remain undisturbed in perpetuity. Establishing a cemetery is one of the first priorities for a new Jewish community. A Jewish cemetery is generally purchased and supported with communal funds.[1]Placingstoneson graves is a Jewish tradition equivalent to bringing flowers orwreathsto graves. Flowers,spices,and twigs have sometimes been used, but the stone is preferred because among the Jewish religion it is perceived specifically as a Jewish custom.[2]
Showing proper respect for the dead (kevod ha-met) is intrinsic to Jewish law. The connection between the soul and the human body after death is an essential aspect of Jewish belief in theeternity of the soul.Thus, disinterring the dead, deriving benefit from a corpse or grave, or acting in any way that may be perceived as "ridiculing the helpless" (l’oeg l’rash), such as making derogatory remarks or joking, but also partaking in the pleasures or needs of the living, such as eating, drinking or smoking, are forbidden in the presence of the dead.[3]
Showing proper respect for the dead also requires aprompt burial,the waiver of certain rabbinic restrictions onShabbatand religious holidays to ensure proper care of the dead, the ritual cleaning (tahara) and dressing of the body in shrouds (tachrichim) before burial, and laws concerning proper conduct in a cemetery.
To ensure that the requirements for Jewish burial are met and that each member of the community is afforded a proper burial, Jewish communities establish burial societies known as theChevra Kadisha(The Holy Society) to provide these services free of charge. In larger Jewish communities, cemeteries are sometimes subdivided into sections according to thechevra kadishathat uses and is responsible for that section of the cemetery's care and upkeep.
History[edit]
Early Jewish cemeteries were located outside of the city. In theDiaspora,it is traditional to bury the dead with the feet in the direction ofJerusalem.Some findings showed that the dead would be buried with a handful of soil from the Holy Land.[4]Thetombstonesusually have inscriptions in Hebrew and the regional language. During theNazi Germanyregime, Jewish cemeteries all over Europe were destroyed and desecrated;[5]for this reason, some cemeteries have therefore also becomeHolocaustmemorials, such as the cemetery in theWarsaw Ghetto.[6]
The largest Jewish cemeteries ofEuropecan be found inBudapest,Łódź,Prague,Warsaw,ViennaandBerlin.Other Jewish cemeteries in Europe include theJewish Cemetery in Khotynand theChatam Sofer Memorial(part of the Old Jewish Cemetery inBratislava). TheJewish cemetery of Siretis considered one of the oldest cemeteries inEastern Europe,its foundation is dated around 1500. Founded in 1832,[7]theJewish Cemetery of Coro,inVenezuelais the oldest Jewish cemetery in continuous use in theAmericas.[8]
Jewish cemetery projects[edit]
The mission of the International Jewish Cemetery Project is to document every Jewish burial site in the world.[9]
The Lo Tishkach European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative was established in 2006 as a joint project of theConference of European Rabbisand theConference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.It aims to guarantee the effective and lasting preservation of Jewish cemeteries and mass graves throughout the European continent.[10]
The ESJFEuropean Jewish Cemeteries Initiative was established in 2015 as a German-based nonprofit. It received the initial grant of 1 million euros from German government in 2015[11]In November 2018 the EJSF received aEuropean Uniongrant for a mass survey project of Jewish burial sites using drones. In December 2019 further funding was granted for a new 2019-2021 project "Protecting the Jewish cemeteries of Europe: Continuation of the mapping process, stakeholders’ involvement and awareness raising".[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"IAJGS cemetery site".Iajgs.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-08-18.Retrieved2012-12-25.
- ^Rabbi David Wolpe: Putting Stones on Jewish Graves
- ^Lamm, M (2000).The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning.New York: Jonathan David Company Inc.
- ^Battegay, Lubrich, Caspar, Naomi (2018).Jewish Switzerland: 50 Objects Tell Their Stories.Basel: Christophe Merian. pp. 30–33.ISBN978-3856168476.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^Eiland, Murray (2010)."Heraldry in the Jewish Cemetery, Frankfurt".The Armiger's News.32(1): 1–4 – via academia.edu.
- ^The Jewish Cemetery in WarsawArchived2017-01-06 at theWayback MachineAbout.com.
- ^Venezuela), IAM Venezuela (Institutional Assets and Monuments of (2017-02-16)."Cementerio Judío de Coro".IAM Venezuela(in Spanish).Retrieved2022-09-28.
- ^Editora-eSefarad.com (2009-10-27)."Venezuela: El primer cementario judío de Sudamérica es reacondicionado".eSefarad(in Spanish).Retrieved2022-09-28.
- ^"International Jewish Cemetery Project".Iajgs.org. 2010-08-23.Retrieved2012-12-25.
- ^lo-tishkach.org
- ^"About us",an ESJF webpage
- ^About surveys project,EJSF
