Tombstone of the young man, Haim Provencal, month of Tamuz 5123 (1363). The 1363 tombstone is the oldest discovered yet.
Another ancient burial stone, which appears to be from the Hebrew year 5181 (1420 or 1421), is inconclusive due to its deterioration.
Tombstone of Isaac Benveniste, Hebrew year 5541 (1780).
Reference, available for download: Ke Haber? November 2023 Ancient Jewish Burial Stones Newly Discovered in Rhodes
These ancient tombstones that were neglected for decades were finally restored in 2000 to provide dignity to the departed and an appreciation of their historical and genealogical value. The following people and organizations were instrumental in completing this meaningful project: Maurice Soriano of the Jewish Community of Rhodes, Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation, Hillel Franco and the Maurice Amado Foundation.
In 2002, Bella Angel Restis, who became the President of the JCR until 2022, continued to improve the Jewish Cemetery with the following programs: cemetery rooms restoration, perimeter and landscape enhancements, monument dedication to the WWII bombing victims of La Juderia and the Tree Planting project.
In July 2023, the Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation donated $10,000 to the Jewish Community of Rhodes, which is now under the leadership of Claudia Restis. The funds will assist with the Jewish Cemetery’s restoration and maintenance.
Important Notice
We’re delighted that the list and images of tombstones can assist with your ongoing research; however, please be advised that given the age and condition of these tombstones, translations can be challenging. We asked that you inform us directly for corrections: info@rhodesjewishmuseum.org
| Moshe Sidi (1593) Translation: Burial stone of the dear, the honor of our master, Moshe Sidi, departed to the house of his world, and was buried the 22nd day of the month of Av, the year 5353 (1593). May his soul be bound in the bond of life. (In Greek: Menō (daughter or wife) of Thrasymedes |
| Nerassiah Hasson (1655) Translation: Burial stone, for a doe of beauty, Nerassiah, the daughter of the dear, and distinguished Avraham Hasson, her soul in paradise, died the 7th day of Adar, the year 5415 (1655). May her soul be bound in the bond of life. |
| Moshe Nahmias (1662) Translation: I shall mourn with a bitter voice, I will not keep quiet over a righteous man, as a date tree, the man, Moshe… something was said about Moshe; Praise and cry in the bitterness of mourning Moshe,…after the death of Moshe, the torah cried in bitterness, the torah that gave without….and the torah of Moshe is the tombstone of wise and elevated, hassid and humble, chasing charity and the needy, Moshe Nahmias, the memory of a righteous man is a blessing, departed to the house of the worlds on the 5th day of the month of Elul, the year 5422 (1662) since creation. |
| Yehudah HaCohen (1666) Translation: The death stone of the master, Yehudah HaCohen, may his soul be in Eden, died the beginning of the month of Elul, the year 5426 (1666). May his soul be bound in the bond of life. |
| Dalessiah Nehemiah (1670) Translation: Burial stone of the dear daughter, Dalessiah… of the dear husband, Yekutiel Nehemiah, departed to the house of the worlds, the beginning day of the month of Tivet, the year 5430 (1670) since creation. |
| Dona de Carmona (1671) Translation: Burial stone of the humble Mrs. Dona, wife of the honorable elder, Avraham de Carmona, departed on Tuesday, the 10th of the month of Sivan, 5431 (1671). May her soul be in Eden (paradise). (Carmona is a small city near Seville in the southern part of Spain.) |
| Yaacov HaLevi (1727) Translation: Burial stone for the dearly departed of young age, Yaacov Halevi, departed on Wednesday, the 29th day of the month of Sivan, the year 5487 (1727), since creation. May his soul be bound in the bond of life. |
| Solomon Eskenazi (1738) Translation: Burial stone to the dear, wise and elevated, honorable master, Solomon Eskenazi, he was taken to the house of the world, on the 14th day of the month of Tishreh, the year 5499 (1738), since creation. May his soul be bound in the bond of life. |
| Yitzhak Surmani (1746) Translation: Burial stone for a dear student, the pleasant, Yitzhak Surmani, he was taken to the house of eternity on the 6th day of the month of Tivet, the year 5506 (1746). |
| Hazdiah Benveniste (1763) Translation: Look at this marker, which is the burial stone of the wise, and high as a mountain, Hazdai Benveniste, he was taken to the house of eternity, on the 16th of the month of Tamuz, the year 5523 (1763). May his soul be bound in the bond of life. |
| Yitzhak Franco (1766) Translation: Because of a jar (urn) of his remains was embedded here. Soul friend, youthful charm chosen and wise as a hill, Yitzhak Franco, his soul in paradise, was taken to the house of his world on the 24th day of Tamuz, the year 5526 (1766). May his soul be bound with God. |
| Yaakov Codron (1768) Translation: On the death of a dear son, the young man and steady as a hill, Yaacov Codron, was taken to the house of his world on the 4th day of the month of Sivan, the year 5528 (1768). May his soul be bound in the bond of life. |
The original location of the old Jewish cemetery was just a short walk outside “la puerta de la ciudad” (Koskinou Gate, also called the Gate of Saint John), which was situated near the “La Fasana” area of the Jewish Quarter.
In the mid1930s, Italian governor Mario Lago approved a city of Rhodes master plan about the land occupied by the Jewish cemetery to be appropriated for public use and, in turn, allocated a new site about 1.5 kilometers away to the southeast (on the road to Kallithea). It was claimed that this action was based on the need for city development and hygiene. Obviously, this was not well received by the Jewish community, and despite the opposition based on civil legality and religious prohibition, the planned relocation moved forward.
Due to the precarious financial state of the Jewish Community of Rhodes, Gov. Mario Lago approved the request of John Menasce, then President of the Jewish Community, to finance the construction of two cemetery rooms: a custodian’s house and a mortuary. In December 1936, Gov. Mario Lago was replaced by Cesare De Vecchi, who enforced the transfer of the Jewish tombstones.
At that time, exhaustive efforts were undertaken by reluctant Jewish families to move over 1,000 tombstones along with the bodies of their beloved to the new location. First cousins David and Nissim Alhadeff were appointed to supervise the move.
In 1938, De Vecchi implemented various “Anti-Jewish Laws,” including the use of Jewish tombstones as building material to rebuild the palace “Il Castillo,” located on top of the “Street of the Knights.” Hizkia M. Franco, a former President of the Jewish Community of Rhodes, wrote an account in his book, The Jewish Martyrs of Rhodes and Cos: “Another particularly sad event occurred during the removal of the remains of our dead from the old to the new Jewish cemetery. De Vecchi ordered the President of our Community to deliver to him about a hundred headstones still bearing the names of our beloved dead, for use as building materials in his infamous castle. Our unfortunate President had to carry out this order, his heart full of bitterness. One can easily imagine the feelings of the whole population. It was in this way that De Vecchi intended to insult the religious conscience of this population, which was left to the mercy of his whims.”
In 1939, the Jewish Community of Rhodes completed the transfer of the remaining hundreds of older tombstones that were not identifiable. These burial stones, without the bodies, were placed in vacant areas of the new cemetery. Then in 1997, 58 years later, it was rediscovered that these older tombstones include ancient burial stones from the 1500s-1800s.
References:
Franco, H. (2009). The Jewish Martyrs of Rhodes and Cos (Translated from the Original French by Joseph Franco). Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation.
Hasson, A. (2012). A Guidebook to the Jewish Quarter of Rhodes. Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation.
Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation
