ViewMate - Image Archive, Image 96062 - Translation - Tombstone - USA


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Information

Picture

Question

Category: Translation - Tombstone
Approval Date: 11/21/2021 12:16 PM
Family Surname: Karon
Country: USA

Click the picture to enlarge

Translation please.

Apologies for the poor quality. The link to the original is https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20079677/j-abe-karon

Maggie Welsh

Response

11/21/2021 1:16 PM

Here lies

the venerable old man, the honored, Mr. [possibly: our teacher?]

YOSEF ABBA son of Reb Shalom

He passed away and was buried on Friday, 26 Elul,

of the year 5663

May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.

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

'Reb' is an honorific; it does not mean rabbi.

The name of the deceased is preceded by text that is not totally clear; it might be the letters Mem-Resh, signifying "Mar", Mr. It might be an abbreviation, Mem-Vav, signifying "Moreinu", our teacher. (These letters also begin another abbreviation, Mem-Vav-Hay, signifying "Moreinu haRav", which translates to "our teacher, the rabbi" and indicates rabbinic ordination, but I do not see a third letter here).

There is a discrepancy between the Hebrew and secular dates. The Hebrew reads "Friday, the 26th of Elul, 5663. This date was indeed a Friday. However, this date began at sunset on September 17th, 1903, and ended on September 18th, 1903. This differs by more than a year from the secular date on the stone, September 25th, 1904.

Doing the date conversion in reverse order: September 25th, 1904, which was a Sunday, corresponds to the 16th or 17th of Tishri, 5665. Every part of this date, including the name of the month, is different from the Hebrew that appears on the stone.

Therefore, I believe that the Hebrew date is correct, and that the secular date of death was September 17th or 18th, 1903.

11/21/2021 10:07 PM

[about the image]
If you click on the "findagrave" image, it will open in a window, at the bottom right of which you will find a link to "View original". A click on that leads you to an image on which your cursor change into a "plus" mark in a magnifying glass. Click that and you have very detailed, downloadable image:
https://images.findagrave.com/photos/2017/144/20079677_1495718516.jpg

[about the date]
There's another reason to believe the Hebrew date is correct and that is the combination of the date, the day of the week and the statement that he "died and was buried" on the same day.

The day: Late Thursday or Friday; Jewish funerals do not take place on the Sabbath. I don't know about the American norms for funerals on Sunday.

The date: by Monday, it would have been the eve of Rosh Hashana - and Rosh Hashana is a two day holiday - no Jewish funerals on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Jewish tradition one attempts to bury people as soon as possible: an expression of deep respect to their remains. Sitting Shiva starts immediately after the burial.

A holiday also cuts off the Shiva - the seven days of mourning. Those too are a way of showing respect for the dead person. Thus, for many reasons of Jewish tradition, it makes sense for the family to have had the funeral as soon as possible, on that Friday.

ViewMate Posting VM 96062

Submitted by Maggie Welsh

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 96062

Submitted by Maggie Welsh