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Jewish cemetery in Comrat, Moldova

A photo catalog of the burials of this cemetery is available at the LINK 

Comrat is a city in Moldova with a population of 20.1 thousand people. Before World War II, just over 300 Jews lived here. After mass emigration in the 1990s, there was practically no Jewish population left.

The Jewish cemetery in the city was in a deplorable state until 2020. According to researchers, there were about 50 graves of varying degrees of preservation on it. In the summer of 2020, Israeli Liran Gimelfarb came to Comrat to visit the graves of his grandparents. He turned to the authorities and asked to put the cemetery in order. In November 2020, with the support of local authorities, volunteers carried out a territory improvement campaign.

The cemetery is cataloged. More than 40 burials are included in the electronic register. Four of them have no inscriptions. The earliest grave in the catalog belongs to B.M. Shandrovsky. (1890-1940). The later burial is dated 2005. This is the grave of Anna Lvovna Boytel (1918-2005).

There are both vertical and horizontal gravestones in the cemetery. There are 16 tombstones with the Star of David. Also on the gravestones, you can find images of:

• One rose. For example, on the tombstone of Anna Lvovna Boytel (1918-2005).

• Two roses. On the gravestones of Tatyana Moiseevna Sklyar (1894-1967) and Yakov Borisovich Sklyar (1884-1964).

• Branches. For example, on the gravestone of Bluma Froimovna Rothenberg (1911-1987).

• Two ears of corn. For example, on the gravestones of Peschanskih Brukha Leyzerovna (1900-1976), Alexander Petrovich (1959-1964), Leyser Moshkovich (1894-1977)

Noteworthy is the tombstone of Emilia Yakovlevna Spivak. Here, in addition to the Star of David above and two roses, there is a seven-branched candlestick with the Star of David in the center below.

There are several family burials: Kupershmidt Bella Moiseevna (1921-1991) and Bella Ruvimovna (1951), Sichuga Sima Mendeleevna (1898-1983) and Simha Naumovich (1887-1960), Gimelfarb Eva Lazarevna (1927-1983) and Iosif Shmulievich (1925-1983).

On seven gravestones, in addition to anthroponymical and chronological data, there are epitaphs. As a rule, these are inscriptions:

• With an abbreviated wording listing the relatives. For example, on the tombstone of Emilia Yakovlevna Spivak (1921-1987) it is written: "Grieving husband, children, and grandchildren." On the gravestone of Maya Borisovna Rosenberg (there are no dates of life and death), the inscription reads: "To my dear daughter from dad, mom, and sister."

• With the addition of the formula: "We love, remember, grieve" and the listing of relatives. So, on the tombstone of Lilia Borisovna Botnar (1962-1985) after the above formula is written: "mother, husband, son, brothers, relatives."