|
| |
| PRESS RELEASE |
|
On Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the annual Membership Appreciation Luncheon of
the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington (JGSGW), outgoing President
Marlene Katz Bishow announced that the society has been given a unique gift
and a rare opportunity. The family of the late Kenneth Poch has given the
society his extensive research on the Jewish soldiers buried at Arlington
National Cemetery.
Inspired by the 1992 book by Mel Young "Where They Lie: Someone Should
Say Kaddish” Ken took it upon himself to visit the graves, say Kaddish
(the Jewish prayer for the dead) and place a small smooth stone on the
headstone as a sign that someone had visited the grave. These visits
caused him to inquire as to how many Jewish soldiers were actually buried
at the famous national cemetery. As of January, 2008, there are more than
330,000 total graves at Arlington, but it was not until after World War I
that it was permitted to include a religious symbol on the headstones. The
headstones of many Jewish soldiers bear a Star of David, but not all.
His life brought to an early end by Lou Gehrig's disease; Kenneth Poch
spent his last 10 years as the self-appointed historian of the Jewish soldiers
buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The research donated to JGSGW includes
the meticulously organized photos, letters, surveys and other items gathered
by Ken. After Ken’s death, his family hastily gathered together his personal
belongings, including the binders and boxes with his research and since his
death in late December, 2003, these items have been lovingly stored at his
sister’s home in Gaithersburg. Ernie Fine, a member of JGSGW, knew Ken and
had discussed his Arlington project with him, arranged for the transfer of
the materials.
Last December, the society launched their second Cemetery Research Project.
The plan is to index all grave sites of Jews buried in the greater Washington,
DC area. In the firs Cemetery Project, from 1988-1992, the society indexed
and researched two of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the nation’s capital:
Macpelah, the old cemetery of Washington Hebrew Congregation and the old
cemetery of Adas Israel Congregation on Alabama Avenue in the southeastern
section of the city. This research has been formatted in computer spreadsheets
and submitted to the Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR). As
part of the new project, JGSGW volunteers will visit the cemeteries and
photograph the tombstones, gleaning from them and other sources, the information
contained in the inscription, including the Hebrew name of the deceased and
his or her father’s name, if included.
Plans are being formalized as to how the research materials will be presented,
but the target date for completion of the project is July, 2011, when JGSGW will host the 31st Conference of the International Association of
Jewish Genealogical Societies. |
|
|
