Broken tombstone with a willow tree from a desecrated Jewish cemetery recovered postwar

Identifier
irn533150
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 2005.609.2
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • Hebrew
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

overall: Height: 17.750 inches (45.085 cm) | Width: 23.500 inches (59.69 cm) | Depth: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm)

Archival History

The tombstone was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities.

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities

Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Scope and Content

Partial gravestone with a carved willow tree and Ladino inscription recovered from the Jewish cemetery located on Sevastopol Street in Bucharest, Romania. The modern Jewish community has undertaken work to preserve what remains of the site. Other remaining gravestones were moved to the Sephardic cemetery in Bucharest. The Sevastopol Street Jewish cemetery was a historic cemetery where burials ceased in 1864. In September 1940, the right-wing, Nazi-allied government of General Antonescu and the Iron Guard seized power. Violence against Jews was common and there were two monstrous pogroms, in Bucharest and Iasi. In 1942, the regime ordered the cemetery demolished. Work began on June 25 and continued through 1944. Jewish forced laborers were made to remove the stones and break them into pieces for paving material.

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on access

Conditions Governing Reproduction

No restrictions on use

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Broken top section of a carved, mottled pink sandstone grave marker with an arched top. It has a wide, rectangular border with 3 evenly spaced, raised squares at the top center, left, and right. The front is smooth, and recessed with a carved willow tree and Ladino text. The carving is very worn. The stone is broken at the bottom in a nearly straight line.

a. front, carved : פ"ט [short for פה טמון - here is buried]

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.