Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery (
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.
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 the eternity 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 a prompt burial, the waiver of certain rabbinic restrictions on Shabbat and 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 the
History
Early Jewish cemeteries were located outside of the city. In the
The largest Jewish cemeteries of
Jewish cemetery projects
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 the
The ESJF European 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 a European Union grant 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
References
- ^ "IAJGS cemetery site". Iajgs.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- ^ Rabbi David Wolpe: Putting Stones on Jewish Graves
- ^ Lamm, M (2000). The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning. New York: Jonathan David Company Inc.
- ISBN 978-3856168476.)
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: 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 Warsaw Archived 2017-01-06 at the Wayback Machine About.com.
- ^ Venezuela), IAM Venezuela (Institutional Assets and Monuments of (2017-02-16). "Cementerio Judío de Coro". IAM Venezuela (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ Editora-eSefarad.com (2009-10-27). "Venezuela: El primer cementario judío de Sudamérica es reacondicionado". eSefarad (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ "International Jewish Cemetery Project". Iajgs.org. 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
- ^ lo-tishkach.org
- ^ "About us", an ESJF webpage
- ^ About surveys project, EJSF