Cemetery Archives | Page 6 of 9 | World Jewish Travel

Harbin Jewish Cemetery

The Harbin Jewish Cemetery is the witness of friendship between the Chinese and Jews. As a must-see for the Jews who visit Harbin, the cemetery is the biggest and best-protected Jewish cemetery of its kind in the Far East. The cemetery was initially established at No. 54, Dongda Zhi Street in 1903. During the 1920’s it was extended and relocated to Tai’an Street. With its 2,420 quare meters it was the largest among alien residents’ cemeteries at that time in Harbin. In 1958, the Harbin government decided to move the Jewish Cemetery to the Huang Shan (Royal Hill) Public Cemetery located at the outskirts of Harbin′s municipal boundaries. From approximate 3,000 graves of which 1,200 with tombstones, 853 were selected and transferred to an area of 6,532 square meters in an eastern suburb about 10 km from the center of Harbin.

The Jewish cemetery on the Huang Shan Public Cemetery adjoins in the north to the Chinese Cemetery, and in the west to the Russian Cemetery. An alley beginning at the entrance area of the Jewish cemetery leads to the north. One small lane, branching off from the alley, leads to the eastern and western parts. Besides these two are no other lanes on the cemetery. The area of the Jewish cemetery is divided in three areas comprise graves and tombstones: In a north, northeast and western area.

In the center of the entrance area of the Jewish cemetery stands a monument designed as a Magen David, which was erected in 2006. In the east of this area was built a Tahara-house (according to the Jewish ritual washing procedure of the deceased) by the Chinese in 2004. The whole process of maintenance and enhancement was promoted by a biographical coincidence: Israel′s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s grandfather J.J. Olmert lived, died, and is buried in Harbin. For this reason the Chinese municipality erected a memorial stone opposite the Tahara-house in honor of the living Israel′s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Text by IceFestivalHarbin)

Older Jewish Cemetry of Eisenstadt

The oldest gravestone of the older Jewish cemetry of Eisenstadt (at the end of the Wertheimergasse) dates back to 1679 and was in use until 1875. Today there are still more than 1.100 grave stones that can be seen at this cemetry. Today the original entrance to the cemetry doen’t exist and it’s split into two halfs. Due to the research of the Austrian Jewish Museums one can easily find the names of those who are buried here via QR-Code. The keys to the cemetry can be found either at the Austrian Jewish Museum (Unterbergstraße 6) or at the doorman of the hospital (Carl-Moreau-Straße).

The Levantine Cemetery

There is another Jewish cemetery not far from the one in Via delle Vigne, now used only for commemorations. The Levantine cemetery as it is known, in Via Arianuova, was purchased in 1570 by the community of the Sephardic Jews (aka the Portuguese Nation), and remained operational until 1879. Over the centuries the surface was cut and today it is but is a small rectangular plot with four 19th-century graves belonging to the Saralvos, a local family of Iberian descent.

Via delle Vigne Cemetery

This burial ground was granted to the Jewish community in 1626. It lies next to the Certosa cemetery, in the north-eastern section of the Addizione Erculea (the addition under Duke Ercole), in a large space that had been left as a lawn under Rossetti’s original project.
At the end of Via delle Vigne, the entrance to the cemetery bears a large granite gateway designed in 1911 by the Jewish architect Ciro Contini. He also designed the burial chapel inside, in the same style as the gateway decorating it in a neo-Babylonian style. These developments gave the Jewish community of Ferrara the visibility it had sought for after Emancipation, which in other cities had led to the construction of new monumental synagogues.
The vast cemetery has an irregular shape due to several consecutive developments: each section has imposing constructions, most of which against the perimeter walls, mixed in with simple old and recent headstones and tombstones. Even to date the plain lawns bear witness to the ban on tombstones imposed by the ecclesiastical authorities in the 18th century. In the same period the cemetery was raised by the Inquisitors and 16th- and 17th-century tombstones were demolished in 1718 and reused to build Duke Borso’s column.

Venice Ancient Cemetery

Along the San Nicolò shore at the Lido is the old Venetian cemetery, founded in 1386. It has been overhauled several times over the centuries, mainly due to expropriation, during which many tombstones were lost. A new area adjacent to the first was opened in 1763, with the entrance on Via Cipro. It is currently still in use. The old cemetery was restored and rearranged in 1999: its 1200 tombstones were catalogued. They date from a period spanning the first half of the 16th century to the second half of the 18th century and denote the many different origins, cultures and languages of the Venetian Jews. A further 140 tombstones from the old cemetery are now at the new one: some are placed near the entrance, others in a nearby gallery room.

Upper Town Jewish Cemetery

Established in 1850. It is classified as an individualy protected cultural heritage site. At this momemnt there are more than 500 graves

Lower Town Jewish Cemetery

Established in 1888. It is classified as an individualy protected cultural heritage site. At this momemnt there are between 150 and 200 graves

Dampalo Jewish Graveyard in Tbilisi

Nowadays, Tbilisi Jews bury their relatives at the Dampalo Graveyard, which is quite far from the center of the city and the city’s two functioning synagogues, specifically located on the outskirts of Tbilisi Varketili. The name “Dampalo” is related to the unsanitary condition which emerged because of the tradition of killing animals in the district. The graveyard is maintained by the city and members of Tbilisi’s Jewish community.

Ashkenazi Graveyard in Tbilisi

The Jewish Graveyard in Samgori Tbilisi is closed nowadays to new burials. Its activation is connected to the arrival of Ashkenazi Jews in Georgia in the XIX century. Many famous personalities from the Jewish Diaspora, including the grandmother of the former Israeli Premier Minister Ariel Sharon, are buried there.

Cemetery of Caciolle

Many places once used as cemeteries have been identified. The first, across the Arno, at the Chiasso de’ Giudei, was replaced by a second near what is currently the Lungarno della Zecca; this in turn was supplanted by others, which were created in the Porta San Frediano area. Here in 1777 the plot was purchased on today’s Viale Ariosto, to house the new Jewish burial ground which still exists, although it is no longer in use. This was joined in 1884 by the Rifredi cemetery, designed by architect Marco Treves. When it will no longer be possible to use it, a new cemetery will be founded in the San Silvestro (Cercina) area, with its grounds designed by the architect Renzo Funaro.

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