Pre-Site Visit Reflections:
Acquired by the Jewish community of Wrocław in the mid-19th century, this cemetery is the oldest remaining Jewish cemetery in the area and has been immaculately preserved during its 150+ year history.
With the first burial occurring in 1856, the cemetery soon became the main place of burial for Jews in the area that is now midwestern Poland, and which was then a part of the German empire. During the Shoah, the cemetery was rented by a Polish gardening company for a five year period, which contributed in sparing it from the destruction of the Nazis when they occupied Poland. Today, the cemetery is a part of Wrocław’s Museum of Funerary Art. Other than bullet holes on some of the graves from a battle in 1945 and occasional acts of vandalism perpetrated by Polish teenagers, the site today is mainly undisturbed from its original state and can be visited both as a museum and as a place of remembrance. The only “curation” present (as a museum) is the upkeep of grounds and location markers of locally well-known inhabitants buried at the site. Headstones are cleaned, paths are laid, and gardening work is carried out, but restoration is hardly an aspect of this curation: despite being a historic gravesite where legibility may be seen as necessary, the natural affects of time are preferably allowed to erode and intertwine with the burial site instead.
Before this trip, many of us have likely never visited a Jewish cemetery before! Without previous knowledge it is understandable that customs and symbols are unfamiliar; I will try to make this process of learning clearer by including a short list of some of the practices and symbols that may be present.
Customs:
- Kippot (also known as yarmulkes, or skullcaps) are worn by male or male-identifying visitors when physically inside the cemetery grounds. This is a sign of respect and humility towards Hashem. Many observant Jews may wear Kippot under wider circumstances; for the purposes of our group they are only relevant in active holy sites like synagogues or cemeteries. Women are not required to wear Kippot, but can choose to.
- Unlike many other cultures Jews generally do not leave flowers or candles at gravesites. A more common practice is the placement of a pebble beside or on the grave as a sign or permanent memory and as a reference to the Book of Life (t’ror).
- Bodily purity, a vital Jewish concept, plays a role when visiting a cemetery (and thus being in proximity to dead bodies). You may notice observant Jews praying before entering, ritually cleansing their hands when exiting, dressing modestly and generally exhibiting a sense of bodily awareness of both the holiness and impurity of the space.
Symbols: Present on matzevot (Jewish gravestones), these symbols help identify who the person was in life and how they are being remembered by those who buried them. Meanings vary- ask if you see something different and we can try to figure it out! The below explanation is sourced via the Jewish Museum in Prague.
- In addition to the symbol of Judaism, the Star of David, there are symbols which indicate lineage, name, profession or position of the deceased.
- Tombstones indicating Kohen (priest, descendant of Aaron) generally depict blessing hands, while the symbol for Levites is a pitcher and basin.
- The forenames and family names of the dead are often symbolised by images of animals or birds. The most frequently depicted animals denote the names of particular tribes of Israel. This connection is based on poetic similes which appear in the blessings of the forefather Jacob to his descendants. Yehuda is compared to a lion, Naftali to a hound, Benjamin to a wolf, and Efraim to fish. Issachar is traditionally associated with a bear.
- The depiction of the above animals, however, can also refer to other forenames, most of which have their origin in Hebrew or German words for particular animals. Thus, Löb and Leibl are symbolised by a lion, Tsvi and Hirsch by a deer, Zeev and Wolf by a wolf, Dov and Beer by a bear, Fischl and Karpl by a fish. A pigeon denotes the name Jonah, while a dove denotes the female name Taubl. (The above forenames could become family names). Images of other animals and birds are mostly related to family names – Hahn is symbolised by a cock, Gans by a goose, and Lämmel by a lamb.
- Symbols of trades or professions are less common; examples include a lancet for doctors, a mortar for apothecaries, and scissors for tailors. An alms box indicates the honourable position of treasurer (gabbai), while circumcision implements signify a mohel.
- Therefore, even if the gravestone is difficult to read, we can still find clues and indications of the lives which were lived and remembered at this site. In this way, you don’t need to know how to read Hebrew to interpret a Jewish gravestone!
Post-Site Visit Reflections:
Visiting Wrocław’s old Jewish cemetery was an emotional and thought-provoking experience. Despite being there only a short time, I felt so present and connected with the site. There were three major thoughts recurring as we walked among the matzevot:
- Names, and what respective names might say about assimilation, levels of religious observance, and dominant powers of the time (German/Polish legacy).
- Art styles, and trying to identity the stylistic movements they belong to respectively.
- Connotations and situation within the greater narrative of the Shoah. Do we act differently amongst ”plain” death than at sites of atrocity? Does the manner in which we interact with Jewish graveyards in Europe carry the weight of the historically imminent Shoah, more than visiting a Jewish cemetery in North America would? And why are many historic cemeteries such as this one no longer used despite the presence of Jewish communities in modern day Poland?
I will first speak about names. Just as symbols on gravestones help to form a picture of the deceased personal circumstances in life, so too, does the name (and how the name was chosen to be represented). In this cemetery, there is a standard mix of German and Hebrew linguistic representations on the matzevot. But not every matzeva is made equal (despite Death being the greatest equalizer). In general, I observed German names on many more of the elaborate mausoleums; Hebrew seemed to be more common among the graves which were smaller and simpler. This could be an indication of how assimilation and observance can be associated with different social classes; assimilated Jews often held prominent positions in German society, whereas more observant Jews were also more likely to live in modest poverty. As the cemetery is located close to a commercial center, the more prominent amount of assimilated/wealthy Jewish graves makes sense in the context of this geographical proximity. The lack of Polish representation on the gravestones points to the fact that the area of Wrocław, then Breslau, was under German control, and exhibited German linguistic majority throughout the entire period of the cemeteries usage (1854-1943; Prussian Empire, German Empire, Nazi Germany). Below are two examples of graves, one lavish stone written in German and the other, more humble, in Hebrew.
Architectural styles are my next topic of interest. Inside the cemetery, I was able to observe six different types of architectural styles, including Neo-Gothic, Baroque, Classical, Art Nouveau, Moorish imitation, and Modernist. These styles largely correspond with the trends of the time which are also visible in the city of Wrocław proper.
First, Neo-Gothic styles are characterized by an imitation of the Gothic style (common in the middle ages). Dark geometric decoration, spires, and sharp angles are characteristic.
Baroque styles focus on heavy decoration, elegant curvature, and elaborate detail, which may even include color. Mausoleum ceilings and facades may be a good indication of such as style.
Classical styles of architecture attempt to recall the Antiquity. Pillars are the most commonly seen aspect of the style, especially in funerary contexts.
Art Nouveau, popular in the 1920s, saw a contemporary blending of Classical art’s natural grace and Baroque’s detail. Subtle decor of leaves and flowers is a prominent indicator of Art Nouveau influence.
Moorish imitation was a common style in central Europe amongst Jewish architectures. Many reform synagogues were designed in the style however, this was extended to the occasional grave. This style is characterized by colourful geometric patterns and arched curvature.
Finally, Modernism makes an appearance in the cemetery and obvious yet unexpected ways. This art movement rarely appeared in cemeteries, but its few examples are noteworthy.
On a final note, a pre-Shoah Jewish site in Europe, carries a certain weight of tragic immanence. At this site, I found myself thinking not just of the people who lay buried, but also about the fate of those who buried them. Marking the absence of names on family mausoleums where space had been left behind but never filled, the cemetery was a reminder of the generation after who were never laid to rest.
This juxtaposition of fate has led me to begin to contemplate how a site like a cemetery feels when put into the wider context of the Shoah. It is not the presence of death that makes a site tragic, but the factors of dehumanization, antisemitism, and murder that colour some of the sites we visited. In comparison to, for example, the mass graves in the Polish countryside, the Jewish cemetery felt like a peaceful sanctuary, a place of comfort, rest and relief. I have never felt “happier” in a cemetery than those we visited in Europe- but this feeling is cut through by the Shoah’s shadow. I think this dynamic could also explain why many pre-Shoah Jewish cemeteries are no longer actively used. The inherent gap in the site’s timeline would represent a tangible scar in an otherwise dignified place; while we must remember the Shoah, Jewish sites of life and death are so much more than a legacy of victimhood. Establishing new sites is one way of displaying this agency in post-Shoah Europe. In many ways, this cemetery is not just an example of the flourishing Jewish life pre-Shoah, but also of the contemporary ways of being that the legacy of the Shoah has necessitated.