Carved Memories: Heritage in Stone from the Russian Jewish Pale

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Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications

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For more than a century, Russian Jews were restricted to residence in the western provinces of Russia, the so-called Pale of Settlement. In this fascinating volume, 125 duotone photographs document the carved tombstones of this region, specifically present-day Ukraine and Moldova. The stones are poignant memorials to the lost world of the shtetl and practically all that remain of a major Jewish art tradition. They are also unique genealogical records for Americans descended from Russian Jewry. The photographs, made by the artist and photographer David Goberman from the 1930s through the 1960s, are in many cases the sole documentation of tombstones that have been effaced or destroyed.

An introduction by Robert Pinsky resonates with the once-vibrant culture of Eastern Jewry. Essays by Goberman and Gershon Hundert, an expert on the history of Jewish life in Russia, place the tombstones in their artistic and cultural setting, and explain the Jewish traditions surrounding their creation. The images are organized by the regions where the cemeteries are located, and captions include translations of the Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions on the stones. Published to accompany an exhibition organized by The Brooklyn Museum of Art, this book is an essential contribution to the history of Jewish art and culture.

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Intricately carved motifs include crowns of the Torah, signs of the Kohanim (split fingers), birds, fallen fruit, a single candle, a broken tree and three small chicks (for the mother who dies leaving three young children), fish, deer, unicorns, bear, lions, and fighting lions. In conjunction with the show at The Brooklyn Museum of Art this Winter, Rizzoli has published the photos by the Russian photographer, David Goberman, aged 88, which he took from the 1930s through the 1960s of Jewish gravestones. Those with menorahs, grapes and water jugs usually represented Levites. The photos document the vanishing art of stone carvers and highlights themes of folk art and spiritual belief. The photos also provide a timeless record of Jewish tradition in the Ukraine and Moldova. Peacocks represent paradise. An excellent book to cherish and learn from.

There are over 100 photographs of tombstones from Jewish towns (shtetls) in Ukraine and Moldova taken by a Russian photographer surreptitiously during the 1950's and 1960's in the Soviet Union. The images range from lions and dragons to seahorses and rabbits -- Jewish stonecarvers used the stones for artistic expression, as well as text to describe the deceased (translated in detail on many stones). The book was published to coincide with an exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum that opens on January 13 and runs through April. Many of the stones shown here were torn up during the Stalin regime and used to make factory steps or fish ponds, so this is the only historical record.