ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 113604 - Translation - Tombstone - Austria - Vienna - Landau


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 2/11/2026 3:53 PM
Family Surname: Landau
Country: Austria
Town: Vienna
Date of Image: 08 February 2026

Click the picture to enlarge

I have already transcribed and translated the German, but I was wondering if anyone could please help me with the transcription and translation of the Hebrew, please? I don't speak Hebrew, so I'm unable to write the words for the transcription and copying them from the image didn't work well, and I tried to use things like Google Translate for the translation but it was too inaccurate.

Source: A photo of Dr Leo Landau's gravestone, added by MDav (Find a Grave contributor 48978222) on Sunday 08 Feburary 2026; Find a Grave, database and images, memorial page for Dr. Leo Landau (unknown–Mar 1925), Find a Grave Memorial ID 101471040, citing Wiener Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Wien Stadt, Vienna, Austria; Created by Daryl & Barbara (Biggs) Mallett (contributor 46984947) on 29 November 2012, maintained by Daryl & Barbara (Biggs) Mallett (contributor 46984947). Accessed Sunday 08 February 2026 via https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/101471040/leo-landau.

Response

2/11/2026 5:08 PM

This is a wonderful stone in honor of a greatly respected man.

(By the way, AI and other online 'helpers' are really bad at reading and interpreting tombstones. Please feel free to use ViewMate, where actual humans are on the other side of the screen.).

======================================================
Here is interred

A distinguished person, the offspring of a wonderful trunk [of a family tree],

precious of spirit and pure of heart, with a sharp intellect and pleasant attributes,

faithfully occupying himself with the needs of the public,

supporter and leader of our community, and the head of our synagogue Polin

Our teacher, the rabbi, Dr. ELIEZER

son of Reb Yaakov the Levite Landau

He died a death by kiss, on the 4th day of Adar 5865 according to the small detail

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
=====================================================
Eliezer [eh-lee-EH-zer] is a Biblical name.

He is identified as 'our teacher, the rabbi'. I see from the German that he was an attorney. Although not unheard of, it would be unusual for someone to obtain both a law degree and Rabbinic ordination. It is likely that "our teacher, the rabbi" may have been used as a term of honor.

His father, Yaakov, [YAH-ah-cove] has the title 'Reb' in front of his name. This is an honorific and does not mean rabbi. Yaakov is a Biblical name, translated into English and other languages as Jacob.

The deceased and his father were Levites, descended from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Levites had specific functions in the Temples, and still receive special recognition -- and have special obligations – today. Levite is a designation passed from father to son.

The image of the pitcher at the top of the stone is an indication of a Levite, as one of the functions of Levites was (and still is) to wash the hands of the Cohanim (priests) before they bless the congregation.

This is the first time that I have encountered the phrase saying that the deceased died a death by kiss. This means that he died suddenly, and/or died a painless death.

The 4th of Adar, 5685, began at sunset on February 27th and ended at sunset on the 28th. The date on the stone is the 27th, which would indicate that he passed away between sunset and midnight of that date. (The phrase following the year, "according to the small detail" means that the 'thousands' digit does not appear on the stone, but is understood. The actual year on the stone is 685, but is read as 5685.)

According to the German, the deceased was the president of a synagogue with the name "Beth Israel". In the Hebrew, it is referred to as "Polin". This may have been the nickname of the synagogue; it might have been founded by people formerly from Poland (as he, himself, also was).

I have found some additional information about him here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Landau-351

2/11/2026 8:31 PM

I accidentally flipped two digits in the year of death within my translation of the text.

The year of death was 5685.

ViewMate Posting VM 113604

Submitted by Andy Thomas

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 113604

Submitted by Andy Thomas