ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 113667 - Translation - Tombstone - Germany - Karlsruhe - Ettlinger


	The Genealogical Research Division of

About Mission Our Team Get Involved Learn more about our organizational leadership, mission, and values. There are numerous opportunities to get involved yourself! Research Search All Records Country & Topical Databases Holocaust Database Burial Registry (JOWBR) Cemetery Discovery Project Memorial & Plaques Database Shul Records America Family Trees (FTJP) Sephardic Text Search 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 Blog Town Finder (Communities Database) Yizkor Books KehilaLinks Regional/Topical Research Divisions JewishGen Press Publications 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. Learn Online Classes Search Methodologies & Research Advice Student Program in Poland Peter and Mary Kalikow Center 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 Family Finder Discussion Group Jewish Genealogy Portal ViewMate Success Stories Yahrzeit reminders 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. Donate General Support Specific Projects Planned Giving Wall of Honor 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!

Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 2/18/2026 2:34 PM
Family Surname: Ettlinger
Country: Germany
Town: Karlsruhe
Date of Image: 1988

Click the picture to enlarge

Would be grateful for an English translation. This is the best available image unfortunately and I was unable to lighten the shadow to any good effect. Died 1818. Father's name may be Löw/Loew Seligmann.

Response

2/18/2026 4:26 PM

I will do the best that I can, which will include guessing at the missing text. The inclusion of abbreviations I have not encountered before adds to the difficulty.
-------------------------------------------------
Here is interred

an honest and respected [man]

his [house/door/palm (of his hand)] was opened wide

[he performed acts of] kindness and charity

[he sat among] those who learned Torah

[Early in the morning] and late at night he was in the house of prayer

[He served] in the Chevra Kadisha [?]

___ MEIR son of the respected Layb

[Et]linger, who passed away

____ on the first day and was buried on

[the 7th day??] of Adar II 5578 [or: 5575]

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
==================================================
As I mentioned, there are a number of abbreviations; such abbreviations can have different meanings, depending upon the context. Without all of the words, there is not enough context to be sure of the meaning. I have read one abbreviation as possibly being "Chevra Kadisha". This is a group of people who deal with the deceased: watching the body, preparing it for burial, etc.

There is probably some text before his name, either a (short) first part of the name, or an abbreviation for an honorary title. Meir (pronounced MAY-ear) means one who brings light. His father was Layb, which is the Yiddish word for lion. (The Hebrew word for lion is Aryeh, which may have been the name of an ancestor). The name Yehuda (Judah) is also often associated with Layb. The name Seligmann does not appear.

The dates of death and burial provide a bit of a mystery; again, difficult to solve without the full text. It seems to say that he died on the first day (of the month or of the week) and that he was buried on the 7th day (or even the 16th day). As Jewish law requires that one be buried as soon as possible after death (but never on the Sabbath and hardly ever on a holiday), it would have been expected for him to have been buried a day or two after death. One exception would be if he had died elsewhere and the body needed to be brought back for burial.
The month of death was "Adar II". In a Jewish leap year, the standard twelfth month, Adar, is replaced by two months: Adar I and Adar II.
The year of death was likely 5578, although there is a slight chance that it may have been 5575.
In the year 5578, the month of Adar II ranged from March 9th through April 6th, 1818, and in 5575, it ranged from March 13th through April 10th, 1815.

3/3/2026 7:49 AM

I'd like to add a little nuance if I may to the words that are visible. This is a nice epitaph paraphrasing Biblical and Talmudic verses to describe the attributes of the deceased.

Top two letters are an acronym for here is buried.

An honest and respected man (part quote from Book of the Prophet Iyuv-Job,1:8)

His home was open wide (to the poor...) (quote from Pirkei Avos- 1:5)
....... Kindness and Charity
....... (with) those who study Torah
... (morning) and evening he was in the Study hall. (referenced a few times in the Talmud)
Leader of the Chevrah Kadisha (Holy Society of pious men who prepared for and buried the dead with all the required religious rites etc.)
..... Mayer son of the Leader Leib
Ettlinger who passed away
... (Purim) the 14th on Sunday and was buried on Tuesday the 16th of Adar II, in the 5578 (years since the world was created.
I checked the records.
he died on March 22, 1818 and was buried two days later on the 24th.
The 14th day of Adar II is the holiday of Purim.
what should have been a joyous day for the family turned into a day of sadness. if they had buried him that day they probably would not have eulogized him, like I am sure they did two days later.

ViewMate Posting VM 113667

Submitted by Susan Wight Swanson

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 113667

Submitted by Susan Wight Swanson