Wednesday Cemetery Blogging

...from CitiesOfTheDead (dot net)

Grave of Clara Schkolnikov and Abraham Heiman in Beth Israel Cemetery on Elysian Fields in Gentilly.

clicky the image for a larger version

Those who are knowledgable about New Orleans cemeteries often will go out of their way to debunk the notion that we bury our dead above ground in New Orleans because of concerns about our high water table. They point out that above-ground tombs were fashionable in Europe in the 19th century and that's why we have so many tombs here.

Like most urban legends, though, the water table story has some truth to it. Yes, the French German and Italian families of New Orleans buried their dead in above-ground tombs, Continental style. Jewish families, however followed their own traditions and buried their loved ones in-ground. But the high water table is a problem--in many parts of New Orleans, you couldn't dig down six feet without hitting swamp and muck. That's why several congregations acquired land along the Gentilly Ridge, one of the highest parts of the city. Congregation Beth Israel did just that. Beth Israel is an Orthodox congregation that is over 100 years old. They moved out to Lakeview in the 1970s, and unfortunately, their synagogue on Canal Blvd. got a lot of water when the 17th Street Canal floodwall breached. The congregation currently holds Shabbat services at Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie. (You can click here to learn how you can help Beth Israel re-build and return to Lakeview.)

the Schkolinkov and Heiman grave is distinctive because most Jewish graves have very simple headstones. Theirs is a bit more elaborate. In a non-sectarian or Christian cemetery, this grave would be dwarfed by tombs, but it stands out in Beth Israel.

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