Krakow Jewish Cemetery

We had one last task before we left Krakow--to clean one more cemetery.  Speaking for myself, I found the cemetery responsibilities to be very meaningful.  The cemeteries in Lublin and this one in Krakow were very large and obviously in need of extensive maintenance.  The "New" Krakow cemetery seemed to be well staffed, but it was extensive and definitely benefited from the assistance.

When we came through the gates, we were greeted by member of the staff who had some supplies for us.  We were encouraged to bring our own tools and gloves (as I noted in an earlier post, I forgot these items when I packed).  The staffers also provided the basin and pitcher for ritual washing upon completion of our task.  When I reflected on this I was actually surprised that this was our first encounter as washing after contact with the dead, or merely tending graves, is  required by Jewish law.  Unfortunately, we didn't avail ourselves of this practice.

I wish I had studied sites such as this:  How to Read a Jewish Tombstone (click to learn more).  It would have added another dimension to our trip if we had spent more time interpreting the tombstones we saw.  Our group leader had mentioned that the Holocaust Education Foundation director was hopeful that at least one among us would be able to read Hebrew sufficiently to offer some analysis of the information displayed on the gravestones.  Only one among us had better than rudimentary skills (and it wasn't me), but it wasn't something we had time to do.  Another piece which would have been helpful is an assessment of who was buried in these cemeteries.  We did learn about a couple of noteworthy rabbis, but there are others whose identities would have been worth knowing.

Our guide Agnieska learned an important lesson after the first three cemetery cleanings--we really needed showers after we were done in the cemeteries.  The fact that we were going to be taking our longest bus trip following the cemetery cleaning was enough incentive for Agnieska to delay our departure time such that we could fit in a shower.  It turned out to be terrifically hot, so this decision was much appreciated by everyone.

The last cemetery we cleaned was the so-called "New" Jewish cemetery on Miodowa Street, a few blocks away from the Remuh Cemetery in Kazimiercz.  This cemetery was established in 1800. The Nazis closed it during World War II.  Płaszów commandant Amon Göth had his courtyard paved with the headstones from the New Cemetery.  Similarly, New Cemetery headstones paved the supply road to Płaszów.  Shortly after the war, a camp survivor is said to have recovered many headstones from Płaszów.  The grounds were renovated in 1957, but after the fall of communism the cemetery was entered into the register of historical monuments of Krakow and thereby preserved.

A so-called lapidary memorial made of old headstones and crowned with a black stone greets visitors once they enter the gates.

Photo by Sura Levine

This experience expanded my vocabulary and Jewish knowledge.  One term/concept our guide introduced to me was Ohel, or tent, designed to protect the grave of a notable person (usually a Tzaddik--click on the highlighted word to learn more).

Ohel from Lublin's Old Jewish Cemetery

When the image at the top of the stone is enlarged, it becomes clear that there are lions on either side of the central box.  From what I've read, this could be an association with the tribe of Judah, or it could mean the deceased's name was related to the word 'lion'--Lev, Leib, Loeb, Arveh, Leon, etc.  There's also a bell connected to the roof, but I wasn't able to discern its meaning.  The use of many colors is also unusual.

This headstone features two lions with extended tongues and a crown.  I've already covered the "lion" reference, but it's not clear why the lions are sticking out their tongues.  The crown, however, suggests the deceased was the head of the house.  Under the crown are the Hebrew letters Peh Nun (פנ), which stands for ‘Po Nikbar’ or ‘Po Nitman’, meaning "Here Lies".

Photo by Sura Levine

The large white stone on the left contains two hands with the fingers separated in two units, forming the "V" which is the gesture of the priestly blessing delivered by the Kohanim, or priests.  Star Trek fans know that Leonard Nimoy, a Jew, borrowed this gesture when offering the farewell, "Live Long and Prosper".  Below the large white stone is a semicircular stone containing a hand holding a pitcher.  This symbol represents the Levites, who attended the priests of the temple by washing their hands.  Some Levite gravestones will feature musical instruments as the Levites were also known to be musicians.

The stone on the right above has the crown, where as the one on the right has the pitchers and water basin.

The snake on this matzevah (gravestone) implies the deceased was a doctor.  Although I didn't see an example of this myself, a circular snake (eating its own tail) represents the cycle of life.

When my friend Cindy and I (along with my daughter Leah and her boyfriend Mike) visited the Prague Jewish cemetery in January 2013, our guide shared that many headstones featured animals which related to the name of the deceased:  wolf/Wolf/Benjamin, lamb, goose/Gans, birds/Vogel, etc.  There are, however, many, many more symbols worthy of attention.  I "googled" "interpreting symbols on Jewish headstones" and learned a number of curious tidbits.

Sometimes the "bird" implies the departed was female.  The bird might also refer to the soul or an early death. 

The use of books implies the dead person was a scholar; the number of books also had significance (five means he was a Torah scholar).  Headstones for women sometimes featured candles, or candelabra.  On occasion, the candles appear broken.  The Magen David/Shield of David/Star of David is used for a man.

I didn't see examples of this, but some gravestones will include two trees, representing the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.  A broken tree/tree stump (or candle, for that matter) implies a life cut short (died too young).

The Tzedakah box, or charity box, when featured on the gravestone tells the visitor the deceased was a charitable person.

I read about the use of the hourglass with wings as a way of symbolizing that life is "fleeting".

Three final symbols are worth noting:  an acorn suggests a greater life after death (an acorn will become a mighty oak); the ball represents eternity; and one half-page of a book suggests a departed spouse.

It's a fascinating exercise, but our focus was on work, rather than interpretation.

Photo by Sura Levine

After finishing up our work and showering, our driver Henryk loaded up the bus and we headed west  (north, then south) to Prague.  It was hot work for Henryk having to drive in to the sun for more than five hours.  European driving rules require professional drivers to take a break after so many hours behind the wheel.  This was just as well, as we needed toilet breaks and to stretch our legs.

We checked in to our hotel and I earned a roommate.  My friend Sura joined me in my room, as I had been without a roommate for the duration of the trip up to that point.  It was fun to have a companion.

We decided to go across the street from our hotel to have supper at a pub.

The best part of the day was that I finally submitted my grades!  Free at last!