The base of a pillar at the entrance to B'nai Amoona Cemetery
On the bus, our tour guide, Linda Koenig, informed us of several Jewish death rituals (some are no longer practiced, some are). In the old days, cemeteries were thought to be "unclean" so water was available to wash your hands after you visited.
There was only one mausoleum in this cemetery which unfortunately has been vandalized. One difference in Jewish and non-Jewish mausoleums is the bodies must be buried in the ground for the Jewish. So, inside this mausoleum was a ladder to take a person down to the graves.
This mausoleum had been broken in and vandalized. The vandals were probably unaware that Jewish tradition dictates a simple shroud, no jewelry. There was nothing to be had by the destruction.
Another tradition dating back for thousands of years is to place a pebble at the site when visiting (many saw this done in the film Schindler's List) Many of us placed our stones at this mausoleum. Linda thought this custom originated when people placed rocks on a grave to keep animals from digging it up. She believes that is also where the custom of the tombstone began.
We also learned that this symbol means that the person was a Cohen---the priestly class.
The symbol on the left of this stone nearest Linda is a pitcher which means that individual was a Levite---those who serve the priests (Cohens). My friend, Sharon, asked,"But Levi was the priest in the Old Testament." Linda explained that Moses and his brother Aaron were both of Levi, but Aaron's descendents became the Cohens. So, Cohens are Levites also.
We had talked earlier about the Woodsman's Society, but we saw one of the stones up close. Today it is into financial planning and all sorts of insurance, but in its early days, it provided burial insurance which included their distinctive stones that look like tree stumps.From here we went to Jefferson Barracks.
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