ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 111907 - Translation - Tombstone - USA


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 8/27/2025 2:18 PM
Family Surname: Cohen
Country: USA

Click the picture to enlarge

I am hoping someone would be kind enough to translate this double headstone for me. Meyer and Celia Cohen were my maternal great-great grandparents.

This photo is from findagrave.com (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122220821/meyer-cohen). They are buried at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.

Meyer and Celia settled in the US after emigrating from the Russian empire in 1891. The other records I've found on Ancestry say their parents were born in Russia or Lithuania.

I am looking for Celia's maiden name, name spelling variations (first and last), names of their parents, and/or places and dates of birth. I'm hoping to use this information to find out where exactly they were from in the Russian empire, their marriage documents, and immigration documents.

Thank you!

Response

8/27/2025 4:26 PM

Celia:

Here lies

CELIE [see-lee-eh] RACHEL daughter of Reb Eliezer

She passed away 23 Elul 5706
-----------------------------------------------
"Celie" is not a Hebrew or Jewish name. It may be that her religious name was not known, and that they therefore used approximate transcription of her secular name. (I see online that the name might be related to the Yiddish name Tzirel.)

In Hebrew, the name Rachel can be pronounced RAH-CHELL (this is the Sephardic/modern Hebrew pronunciation) or RAW-CHELL (the Ashkenazic) pronunciation. In both cases, the 'ch' is pronounced as in Chanukah or Bach.

Reb is an honorific; it does not mean rabbi.

Eliezer [eh-lee-EH-zer] is a Biblical name. Yiddish derivations of this name include Layzer.

The 23rd of Elul, 5706, began at sunset on September 18th, 1946, and ended at sunset on the 19th. The date on the stone is the 18th, which would indicate that she passed away between sunset and midnight of that date.

You wrote that this was your great-great-grandmother. If you would want to observe the Yahrzeit (anniversary of the Jewish date of death), for example by lighting a memorial candle or giving charity in her memory, this date is approaching soon. The 23rd of Elul is always approximately a week before Rosh Hashanah. This year, the 23rd of Elul will begin at sunset on Monday September 15th and end at sunset on the 16th.
========================================================
Meyer:

Here lies

MEIR son of Reb Tzvi

He passed away 8 Adar 5688
-----------------------------------------------
Meir [may-eer] is Hebrew and means 'one who brings light'

His father’s name was Tzvi [tsvee]. This is Hebrew for deer. The Yiddish word for deer is Hirsh. Because of this, some men with the Hebrew name Tzvi have a secular name that sounds similar to Hirsh, such as Harry, Harold, Herbert, etc.

There is actually something missing from the name of the deceased. Based upon the image on his stone, he must have been a Cohen (explained below), and the stone should really read "Meir son of Reb Tzvi the Cohen".

The deceased and his father were Cohanim (plural of Cohen). A Cohen is a member of the priestly tribe. The first priest was Aaron, Moses' brother, and this designation is passed down from father to son. Cohanim had specific functions in the Temples, and still receive special recognition -- and have special obligations -- today. The symbol at the top of the stone shows the priestly hands in position to bless the congregation and appears only on the grave of a Cohen.

8/27/2025 4:34 PM

I should have added that unfortunately this stone contains only the minimum information that can appear on a tombstone.

Mothers' names almost never appear on Ashkenazic tombstones, maiden names appears only occasionally, and dates and places of birth are rare.

ViewMate Posting VM 111907

Submitted by Sarah Conley

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 111907

Submitted by Sarah Conley