ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 114231 - Translation - Tombstone - USA - Ridgewood, Queens, NY - Isaacs


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 4/19/2026 6:15 PM
Family Surname: Isaacs
Country: USA
Town: Ridgewood, Queens, NY
Date of Image: March 2026

Click the picture to enlarge

Request (2 of 3):
Harris Isaacs

Related Requests:
Jennie Isaacs (VM 114230)
Double Headstone (VM 114232)

Hello,

I seek two transcriptions and a translation of the 4-line Hebrew inscription on my great-grandfather's potion of a double headstone in the Mt. Judah Cemetery. He immigrated from the Bialystok area before 1890 and died in New York City in 1916.

The image is cropped to the Hebrew inscription. Both Hebrew and English portions appear in the photo of the double headstone.

For my genealogy records and continuing research, I request:
1. A transcription of the original Hebrew inscription as it appears on the stone
2. The expanded (full) Hebrew text, if any abbreviations are present, and
3. An English translation of the Hebrew.

Thanks for your help.

Response

4/19/2026 7:21 PM

In the upper right and left corners, outside the arcs are two letters, abbreviations for Here Lies.

A dear and important man, our teacher and Rabbi
Tzvi Hirsh son of Reb Yitzchak Aryah
Died on the holy Sabbath, 20 Av 5676
May his soul be bound up in the bond of life (acronym)

Teacher and Rabbi is an honorific, not a true title.
Reb = Mr.
For an explanation of the two double names see:
https://www.jewishgen.org/InfoFiles/GivenNames/

4/19/2026 9:30 PM

Beginning with the top left corner:

פ"נ

האיש היקר והחשוב מו"ה

צבי הירש ב"ר יצחק אריה

נפטר ש"ק כ' אב תרע"ו

תנצב"ה
--------------------------------
The abbreviation פ"נ , as mentioned in my second comment to VM114230, represents the words פה נקברים .

The abbreviation מו"ה represents the words, מורנו הרב which translate to “our teacher, the rabbi”.

The abbreviation ב"ר represents the words בן ר' , which translate to “son of ‘Reb’”.

The abbreviation ש"ק represents the words שבת קודש , which translate to “the holy Sabbath”.

The abbreviation כ' , which is a date, would not be spelled out, as its purpose is to represent a number, with the letter כ (kaf) having the value of 20.

As explained in my response to your other post, the year is a numerical representation and would not be spelled out. The first letter, ת , tav, represents 400. The second letter, ר, resh, represents 200. The third letter, ayin, ע, represents 70, and the last letter, ו, vav, represents 6, giving a total of 676. The first number in the date, representing the thousands, is not shown, but is understood to be a five, making the Hebrew year 5676.

The five letters at the bottom represent the phrase תהי נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים. (Here again, this abbreviation can be read as appropriate: HER soul, , HIS soul, and THEIR souls. Often, when “here lie” is centered between two sides of a double stone, this five-letter abbreviation is also centered, at the bottom. Here, however, each person has his/her own phrase.)

====================================================

Here lies

The dear and respected man, our teacher, the rabbi,

TZVI HIRSH son of Reb Yitzchak Aryeh

He passed away on the eve of the Holy Sabbath 20 Av (5)676

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
----------------------------------------------------------
The name of the deceased is preceded by an abbreviation that represents the words “our teacher, the rabbi”. This normally indicates that the person had rabbinical ordination, not necessarily that he was the rabbi of a synagogue or community. I need to point out that this abbreviation occasionally appears in error (or, sometimes, simply as words of praise to indicate that the person was scholarly), so I would suggest trying to get confirmation of his rabbinical status – if any – from a second source.

Tzvi Hirsh is a common double name. Tzvi (which is Hebrew) and Hirsh (which is Yiddish) both mean deer. Some men with either of these names have a secular name that sounds similar to Hirsh, such as Harry, Harold, Herbert, etc. Presumably, this is why his secular name was Harris.

‘Reb’, as explained, is an honorific and does not mean rabbi.

Yitzchak is Hebrew for Isaac.

Aryeh is Hebrew for lion. Some men with Aryeh as part of their religious name have a secular name related to lion, such as Leon, Leo, Leonard, etc.

ViewMate Posting VM 114231

Submitted by James Michael Harrison

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 114231

Submitted by James Michael Harrison