Unknown Cemetery
This is an old photo I came across in a box of old letters and business
cards. Help solve the puzzle of where this is, whose stone is
featured, why my parents or grandparents might have kept this
and what should be done with the information we discover. (1999)
On the center back is stamped:
G. Hubner, Photograph
Gottingen, Gronerildstr.29
Close up of lettering on stone below.
For a close up of the name at the top of the stone
and the date at the bottom, click here
For an enlargement of the text in the center, click
here
Greatly enlarged image
and transcription of text
Solving the Mystery
Over time, I have asked for help translating
the lettering on the stone and researching the man who was buried
here. A number of people have provided information.
Translation of the Hebrew at the top of the stone. (Words
abbreviated in Hebrew are in parentheses below.)
(Here lies)
The Rav, great in the Torah
and in fear (of Heaven ),
[Our Rav and Teacher], Moshe [of blessed
memory]
[son of] Ya'akov Soloveichik,
Head of the Great Yeshiva of Suwalki
(Thanks to cousin Stan Goodman, of Israel for
the translation.)
Dr. Ida Selavan Schwarcz responded to my question about Moshe
SOLOVEICHIK of Suwalki, posted to
the JewishGen newsgroup.
She had translated the entire Suwalki Yizkor Book into English
12 years ago and was able to look up Rabbi Moshe in the index.
On page 120 of the Suwalki Yizkor Book there is this passage:
Rabbi Moshe son of Rabbi Ya'akov Soleviechick, son-in-law
of the elder
of the religious court judges Rabbi Naftali Prendel, was active
in
community work in Suwalk. He died in Gottingen in 1896.
According to Encyclopedia Judaica, there is a large rabbinic
family named Soloveichik, and although there are people named
Moshe and Yakov, there is no Moshe son of Yakov listed in the
1972 edition. Suwalki is not mentioned in any Soloveichik biography.
A very helpful person e-mailed me after he read my JewishGen
posting and looked at the scans of the gravestone. He pointed
out that:
"It does not say "HaLevi" after his name
on the stone. The famous SOLOVEICHIK Rabbinic family were Levites
and that was invariably given as an integral part of their name
on title pages of their publications, gravestones, etc."
Someone in Jerusalem who subscribes to JewishGen took the
time to speak to the head of the Yeshivas Toras Moshe (an American
yeshiva in Jerusalem named for Rabbi Moshe SOLOVEICHIK, a son of Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik of the famous Lithuanian
rabbinic family). The current head of the Yeshiva is the grandson of
Rabbi Moshe Soloveichik.
The rabbi said that there were two Soloveichik families in
Lithuania, one of which were Leviim (his, the famous rabbinic
one); the other family were Yisroel.
More translation from the lower part of the stone and additional information has arrived (2010), thanks to a kind person from Jerusalem who said:
"It says on the stone that he passed away at the age of 37.
There was a family called Soloveichik, not Leviim, that were descendants of the "Mishknos Yaakov" from Karlin. One called Meir authored a book called Hameir Laaretz, and someone called Yaakov who authored a book called Yeshuos Yaakov. I assume he was a brother of Meir. They maybe connected to Moshe Soloveichik.
I also think the inscription at the bottom reads 5756, which would be 1896."
He provided a text transcription of all the Hebrew on the this tombstone.
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We still do not know why my ancestors kept this photograph. My grandparents came from the Lomza region, which was next to Suwalki Gubernia. Several family members married people born in the town of Suwalki. If more details are uncovered, they will be included here.
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