ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 113419 - Translation - Tombstone - USA - Forest Park


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 1/25/2026 2:24 PM
Family Surname: Ratner
Country: USA
Town: Forest Park

Click the picture to enlarge

I would very much appreciate it if you could translate this tombstone for me. Thank you so much for your help!

Response

1/25/2026 2:49 PM

Here lies

the rabbi, distinguished in (knowledge of) the Torah,
a master of charity, engrossed in (doing) Mitzvot,

beloved by his fellow man, Rabbi Aryeh

Layb son of the rabbi Yosef Yozzel of blessed memory.

He passed away 18 Sivan 5708. May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
---------------------------------------------------
Mitzvot can be translated both as 'good deeds' and as 'commandments'.

Both the deceased and his father were rabbis.

The deceased had a ‘double’ Hebrew name: Aryeh (which is Hebrew) and Layb (which is Yiddish); both words mean lion. SOME men with either – or both – of these names have a secular name related to lion, such as Leo, Leonard, Leon, etc. Or, as in this case, a name simply beginning with an L.

His father's double name contains a Yiddish name that I have not seen before. Without vowels, it is hard to be absolutely certain, but I believe that it would have been pronounced Yaw-zl, presumably a nickname for Yosef (Joseph).

1/26/2026 1:37 AM

Hello Shauna,

The name of Rabbi Louis Ratner's FATHER is inscribed as
The Rabbi Yosef Yuzel, of blessed memory. It is a double name. Yuzel is a Yiddish version of Yosef, and it is more commonly heard/used as the more casual "Yussel" or nickname "Yussie".
(On this marker it is spelled with a "zion" which has the "Z" sound, but more usually heard with an "S" sound.

I speak from my own experience, as my father knew his name to be Yossie/Yossel, but when it came time to inscribe his tombstone, I was advised by the cemetery's Ritual Director to use the more formal Hebrew name Yosef instead of Yossel.

There are more specific rules about how formal or casual a person's name should appear on the occasion of death or it's documentation, which follow traditional and religious guidelines. These may vary by Jewish denomination or religiosity.

Jo

2/8/2026 7:35 PM

I'd like to add a little nuance to the translations:
This is a nicely composed epitaph paraphrasing verses in the Torah (biblical and Talmudic) describing a kind, pious and scholarly Jew who was proactive in helping others in his community.
Top Row: a two letter acronym for Here is buried or Here rests.
The Rabbi, distinguished in (Knowledge of) Torah
(Known as a Generous) Patron of (Giving) Tzadakah (Charity), (He was) a community Activist in Mitzvos
Beloved by others, Reb Aryeh Leib son of the Rabbi Yosef Yoizel of Blessed Memory.
He passed away on the 18th day of the Jewish Month of Sivan in the 5708th (year since the world was created.)
The last five letters are an acronym for a verse "May his/her soul be bound in the bundle of life," A direct quote from the Book of the Prophet Samuel / Shmuel A, 25: 29, that is traditionally engraved on Jewish tombstones.

What is clear is that the deceased was an accomplished Torah scholar and not only donated generously with his wallet but also was proactive and involved in needs of the communal charitable causes.

The name Leib is a Yiddish name.

In the Torah in Bereishis (Genesis) (49:9) When Yaakov (Jacob) blessed his 12 sons before he died, he blessed his fourth son, Yehuda, (Ancestor of King David) with
גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה וּכְלָבִיא מִי יְקִימֶֽנּוּ
"A cub [and] a grown lion is Judah. From the prey, my son, you withdrew. He crouched, rested like a lion, and like a lion, who will rouse him?"
The first word for lion at the beginning of the verse is "Aryeh" & the 2nd word used for lion at the end of the verse is "Lavie or Labie." Both words are Hebrew words for lion used till today.
Thus the symbol for the tribe of Yehudah is the Lion. Also as a result, the name Leib became a common Yiddish sobriquet for males named Aryeh or Yehuda.
i.e. There was a famous Hasidic Rebbe 200 years ago Rabbi Moishe Leib of Sassov. The last Rabbi of the city of Slonim, Poland killed by the Nazi's in 1941 was Rabbi Yehuda Leib Fein HY"D.
One of the worlds most renown Cantors was the famous Chazan /singer, Arye Leib Schlossberg (1860-1925),
My neighbor named his son Yehuda Leib.
In my own family tree research, I have found relatives named Yehuda Leib and Aryeh Leib, whose civil names varied between Juda, Leopold, Lipot, and Leon.
The name Yoisel is/was a very common sobriquet for the Biblical name Yosef.
One famous example is Rabbi Yosef Yoizel Horowitz, known as the Alter of Novardok (1847– 1919), a protégé of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the Musar movement (Study of Jewish ethics). RYY Horowitz established one of the largest networks of Yeshivos in Europe before the Holocaust

ViewMate Posting VM 113419

Submitted by Shauna Wagner

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 113419

Submitted by Shauna Wagner