ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 115348 - Translation - Tombstone


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 9/13/2026 4:35 PM
Family Surname:
Country: Lithuania

Click the picture to enlarge

Please translate the Hebrew inscription on this portion of a gravestone from 1898. I know what the name of the individual is (the bottom two lines), but I am particularly interested in what the honorific text about the individual states at the top of the stone. I am interested in both the horizontal text, as well as the text shown in the semi-circle at the top of the stone.

Thanks for your help!

Response

9/14/2026 2:09 AM

The arch reads:

The monument of the burial of our father

The horizontal word within the arch says: the venerable old man

This is followed by:

A dear and respected man

Eminent in his reverence [for G-d]

beloved and an admirer of the rabbis

Our teacher, the rabbi, Rabbi

Shimon Yitzchak

son of Reb Yechiel Michel
===============================================
'Reb' is an honorific; it does not mean rabbi. His own name, however, is preceded by an abbreviation that represents the words “our teacher, the rabbi”. This normally indicates that the person had rabbinical ordination, not necessarily that he was the rabbi of a synagogue or community. I need to point out that this abbreviation occasionally appears in error (or, sometimes, simply as words of praise to indicate that the person was scholarly), so I would suggest trying to get confirmation of his rabbinical status – if any – from a second source.

Shimon is Simon. Yitzchak is Isaac.

Yechiel Michel is a common "double name."

(Is this all that appears on the stone? One would expect at least the date of death.)

ViewMate Posting VM 115348

Submitted by Roy Ogus

Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself!

Search millions of records from around the globe, including more than 4 million records related to the Holocaust, and more than 4.2 million burial records. Records are continually added each month - check back often for new information!

Discover your ancestral town, explore geographic/regional based sections of the JewishGen site (Research Divisions), and explore what daily life was like for your ancestors - and what we can learn from them today.

Enhance your research with online classes and dozens of helpful articles. University students can apply for the Bennett & Robin Greenspan L'dor V'dor Legacy Program, and those "out of school" can help preserve Jewish Heritage in Poland with unique study & volunteer experiences.

Connect with tens of thousands of other JewishGen members via the Family Finder, Discussion Group, Facebook Group, and ViewMate. It's a great way to share success, ask questions, and stay informed of the happenings throughout the Jewish genealogical community.

The JewishGen site is offered as a free public resource. However, it costs a lot of money to maintain and expand our services. If you are in a position to do so, please consider a contribution today - your support will make a difference!

ViewMate Posting VM 115348

Submitted by Roy Ogus