Broken tombstone with a willow tree from a desecrated Jewish cemetery recovered postwar
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
- Jewish cemeteries--Desecration--Romania--Bucharest--History--20th century.
- World War, 1939-1945--Jewish cemeteries--Desecration--Romania--Bucharest.
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Romania--Bucharest.
- World War, 1939-1945--Jewish cemeteries--Destruction and pillage--Cemeteries--Romania--Bucharest.
- Offenses against religion--Romania--Bucharest--History--20th century.
- Jewish cemeteries--Destruction and pillage--Romania--Bucharest--History--20th century.
Genre
- Object
- Jewish Art and Symbolism