ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 114182 - Translation - Tombstone - Romania - Campelung Moldavenesc - Holdengraber


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 4/12/2026 4:07 PM
Family Surname: Holdengraber
Country: Romania
Town: Campelung Moldavenesc
Date of Image: 18 Mar 2026

Click the picture to enlarge

I wish I had a cleaner image of this, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a better closeup. Still, I am hoping someone can see the name of the father here -- even a guess at the first letters would help. I'd be grateful for any other information, but this is a relative whom I can't exactly place on the family tree.

Response

4/12/2026 5:16 PM

I can read enough of the top eight lines to recognize that these are a poem of praise and mourning. I cannot put together enough of the words in order to produce a sensible translation, especially as such poems often include flowery terminology.

The final two lines contain the specific details:

His name was YITZCHAK (Hebrew for Isaac). His father had a double name: Yaakov Yehuda, Yaakov being Jacob and Yehuda being Judah.

The symbol of the tribe of Judah was a lion. For this reason, SOME men with Yehuda as part of their religious name will have a secular name related to lion, such as Leo, Leopold, Leonard, etc.

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 (the priests) bless the congregation.

He died at the age of 60. The only clear part of the date of death is the month of Sivan, which occurs in late Spring. The date looks most like the 3rd. The year is a bit problematic, as it could be one of two decades: the 5670's, or the 5690's. The last digit might be a 6 or a 7.

If the date was the 3rd of Sivan 5676: the corresponding secular date was June 3rd/4th, 1916.

If the date was the 3rd of Sivan 5677: the corresponding secular date was May 23rd/24th, 1917.

If the date was the 3rd of Sivan 5696: the corresponding secular date was May 23rd/24th, 1936.

If the date was the 3rd of Sivan 5697: the corresponding secular date was May 12th/13th, 1937.

Another possibility is that the character that I am reading as a 6 or 7 might belong to the next (very faded) word, making the year either 5670 or 5690, in which case the corresponding dates would be June 9th/10th, 1910, or May 29th/30th, 1930, respectively.

4/12/2026 6:06 PM

The date looks like the 3rd of Sivan 5697 (or perhaps 5677).

The date is followed by the words "sixty years."

The poem mentions that he died prematurely, and seems to indicate that there were especially tragic circumstances to his death.

6/3/2026 4:30 PM

Here are some words that are visible in the poem:

...יצא בטרם מועד...
...חיי הנצח...
מר יבכיון] ויעוררו זעקת שבר]
רעיתו] וצאצאיו כי ירד קבר]
בידם] במבחר שנותיו]...
במיטב כחותיו...
פודה [נפש]...יפדה נפשו
כי בכל יום לבי"הכנ הלכו רגלו
יצחק בן יעקב יהודה הלוי

...he left before his time...
...eternal life...
[They weep bitterly]* and they awaken a cry of calamity**
[His wife] and his offspring, because he went down to the grave
...[at their hand] in his choicest years
...with the best of his strengths
The Redeemer [of the soul]*** ...will redeem his soul
Because every day to the synagogue his feet would go.
Yitzchok son of Yaakov Yehuda the Levite

*Isaiah 33:7.
**See Isaiah 15:5.
***See Psalms 34:23.

The words in brackets are not entirely clear in the photo, but I wrote what I think they may be.

ViewMate Posting VM 114182

Submitted by Joseph Evan Kraus

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 114182

Submitted by Joseph Evan Kraus