by Rick D. Cauthen
In my last blog regarding Jewish Cemeteries, I spoke of genealogical importance of the Hebrew Inscription found on headstones. So why is the Hebrew Inscription so important? That is quite simple. It was Jewish tradition that you would inscribe the deceased’s Hebrew name along with the name of their father or sometimes mother. Now, I think you would have to agree that many genealogists working on non-Jewish lines of their family tree would be ecstatic if they could simply look at their ancestor’s tombstone and find that vital information.
In my last blog regarding Jewish Cemeteries, I spoke of genealogical importance of the Hebrew Inscription found on headstones. So why is the Hebrew Inscription so important? That is quite simple. It was Jewish tradition that you would inscribe the deceased’s Hebrew name along with the name of their father or sometimes mother. Now, I think you would have to agree that many genealogists working on non-Jewish lines of their family tree would be ecstatic if they could simply look at their ancestor’s tombstone and find that vital information.
But don’t get too excited, the names
provided are formal Hebrew names that don’t provide surnames in the typical
sense that you may understand. The Jews had essentially patrilineal or
sometimes matrilineal names that changed with every generation. For example, if
your name is Shem and your father’s name was Noah, you would have been
identified Shem son of Noah. Often, daughters would also be addressed in a
similar vain. Hannah daughter of Abraham. However, some Jews used a matrilineal
naming, with respect to girls only, where it would have been Hannah daughter of
Sarah. It seems to have varied somewhat with the naming of girls. I suppose it
may have had something to do with the Synagogues they belong to and the Rabbis
that officiated over them.
The reason I bring up this naming
convention is that it’s important that you understand that you are not going to
find the Surnames that you may hope to find. However, even a first name is
better than no name. If nothing else, it will serve as evidence later
corroborating a record that you may find among other records. For instance, if
you discover that your grandfather whose name you know was Mose Goldstein,
showed the inscription that his father’s name was Hyman, and you later find
Mose Goldstein in the 1920 US Census with a Head of House by the name of Hyman
Goldstein, then you know more likely that you have found the correct family. In
other words as genealogists we always wanted to take any evidence that we find
and use it to our benefit.
More often than not you will find
the dates of death and birth according to the familiar Gregorian calendar
(although at times you may find a Jewish headstone that only has Hebrew writing
on it). You will generally also find in the Hebrew inscription those dates according
to the Jewish calendar. Often this may be more than just nice to know
information. For example, perhaps it gives the name of the deceased in the form
of their English name and the dates as 1865 – 1913. So now you can readily
determine that your ancestor passed away circa 1913, but no specific date.
However, there is an excellent chance that the Hebrew inscription will provide
that actual date of death according to the Jewish calendar, which in turn can
be converted to the Gregorian calendar. A simple tool to do this can be found
on the web at http://www.hebcal.com/converter/. It will also provide you the
Hebrew words to express that Jewish calendar date.
By now you are thinking, well all
this information is great to know, but I still cannot read the Hebrew, so this
is all for naught! Remember, I also stated this is a very common plight among
genealogist tracing Jewish lines. So let’s discuss some strategies to get over
this major hurdle. An internet page I would strongly recommend reading can be
located within JewishGen.org. At http://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/tombstones.html, you will find some very sound
basic information which will provide some assistance in breaking this Hebrew code.
Online networking is without a
doubt the most powerful tool at your disposal. I would highly recommend joining
the Facebook group “Jewish Genealogy Portal.” You can locate this group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/JewishGenealogyPortal/. This group is moderated by Randol
Schoenberg, the famed lawyer whose story was recently told in the movie “Woman
in Gold.” Simply take a quality picture of your ancestor’s headstone and create
a posting including the image into this Facebook group. Just kindly ask for
anyone who would be willing to translate the Hebrew Inscription into English.
Within the group there are many who have the ability to translate for you and
graciously do for others. Another Facebook group I would recommend would be
“Tracing the Tribe.” You will locate it at https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracingthetribe/. Just like the “Jewish Genealogy
Portal” group, there are numerous individuals who will gladly make the
translation for you. One more suggestion I have is an area called “Viewmate”
located within the JewishGen.org site. The URL is http://www.jewishgen.org/ViewMate/. This is a more formal forum where
you may upload your image of the Headstone and should receive a reply within
24-48 hours. The benefit of using Viewmate is I tend to believe you will locate
volunteer translators who have a greater skill level.
Lastly, if you really would like to
master this skill of uncovering the meaning found in those Hebrew Inscriptions,
I would highly suggest purchasing and reading the following book:
Segal, Joshua L. A Field
Guide to Visiting a Jewish Cemetery: A Spiritual Journey to the Past, Present
and Future. Nashua, NH: Jewish Cemetery, 2005.
This book provides an extremely
detailed educational journey in learning and honing the skill of extracting all
the vital information found on a Jewish Headstone. Not just the Hebrew words,
but also decorations and symbols to be found on these headstones.
Symbols that are found on Jewish
Headstones will also provide “nice to know” information in regards to your
ancestors heritage. When you find the image of the hands with split fingers:
This symbol is representative of a
Kohen (or Kohain), a member of the Kohanim, who were the high priests. Kohens
are strictly of patrilineal descent, in other words the heritage was only
passed from father to son. All Kohens are said to be direct descendants of
Aaron, the brother of Moses, who was the first Kohen. The high priests would
put their hands over the congregation when performing certain blessings. If the
positions of these hands seems familiar to Mr. Spock’s greeting, the character
from Star Trek fame, this is no coincidence. Leonard Nimoy, the famous Jewish
actor who performed that role for television and film, was heavily influenced
by what he saw as a child going to synagogue during the high holy days.
The symbol of the water pitcher:
This represents those who descend
from the tribe of Levi or as a group, the Levites. The Levites were also
priests, part of whose role was to wash the hands of the high priests.
Images of trees with their limbs
cut off, trees being cut down, or entire headstones in the shape of trees with
broken or cut off limbs:
These were placed on headstones of
individuals that were considered to be cut down in the prime of life. These
were young individuals that were in their teens to late twenties and even
perhaps early thirties. I suppose in truth, it was symbolic of the devastation
felt by the surviving parents who had to face the cruel reality of burying
their child.
The symbol of a lamb:
The lamb, also being a baby or a
very young animal would be found on the headstones of infants or very young
children. The lamb has a simple meaning of young innocence. This perhaps may
actually be the most emotionally charged Jewish symbol you will ever find on
any headstone.
Of course, the most common symbols
you will find are the Menorah and/or the Star of David.:
Both of these symbols are for the
most part pure decoration as they ultimately signify that the deceased
individual was a member of the Jewish community. Often the Menorah is placed on
stones of women as it is representative of the deed that only women, would
perform by saying the blessing over the Sabbath candles. The Star of David,
which may be placed above men on a double headstone for a husband and wife,
often is found with the two Hebrew letters as shown here. The letters simply
are an abbreviation for the words “Here Lies.” Even if not found inside the
Star of David, you most certainly will find it inscribed on every Jewish
headstone.
Lastly, you will also find the
epitaph on every single Jewish headstone inscribed as:
These Hebrew letters are a conventional
abbreviation meaning “May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal
life.”
If you have an interest in getting involved with the Jewish Interest Group of the Hamilton County Genealogical Soceity please contact Mr. Rick Cauthen at jewish.interest@hcgsohio.org
If you have an interest in getting involved with the Jewish Interest Group of the Hamilton County Genealogical Soceity please contact Mr. Rick Cauthen at jewish.interest@hcgsohio.org
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