Hit List => Rocks on Tombstones

[Mary Beth McKee <mbmckee@ERICIR.SYR.EDU>]

LM_NETTERS,

Thanks to everyone who responded to this question!  I had a
few requests that responses to this question be posted to
the entire list.  I appreciate the responses and hope this
question is not too removed from the scope of LM_NET.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Mary Beth McKee                         *
* AskERIC Network Information Specialist  *
* AskERIC@ericir.syr.edu                  *
* Have an education related question?     *
*   AskERIC - Everyone else does.         *
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Here is a list of the responses received.

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In my family, one places a rock on the tombstone when you visit a
grave as a sign that you have been there.  Rocks do not blow off
easily and so will remain there after you have left to signify that
someone came to pay their respects to the departed.
 If others respond with more religiously rooted explanations, I
would appreciate it if you would forward them to me, as I am curious
too.
                Linda
Linda Greengrass
Bank Street College Library610 West 112th Street
New York, NY 10025
(212) 875-4452
lindag@bnk1.bnkst.edu
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It is a Jewish tradition to place a stone on a grave to
indicate you have  visited. Flowers die, but the stone
stays there forever.

Marge
Congress  mcongre@eis.calstate.edu      La Sierra High School, Riverside, CA


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It is customary for Jews to visit the gravesites of their
loved ones,  where, before leaving, they place a stone at
the grave.  It is an act of  love or "calling card".

The custom originated when only a mound of stones marked
graves rather  than the modern tombstone.  A visitor who
placed a stone on the mound was thus  helping to maintain
it.

Sue Rosenzweig.

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yes it is a Jewish tradition to signify the YAHRZEIT or
annual connemeration ceemony of ones death .

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I haven't seen Schindler's List yet, so I don't know to
what scene you refer.  However, it is a Jewish custom to put
rocks on tombstones when visiting departed loved ones.
There are different opinions as to how the custom began.
Probably as a means of communicating with others who were
also visiting.  People would meet at a tombstone.  If
expected others did not come, the rock would show that
someone had been there.  We do this now, to sort of see how
many have come to visit a grave, leave a mark about our
being there.  I hope that this explains it a little for you.
Karen Leon
K12rolgk@vaxb.hofstra.edu

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It's a Jewish custom, when visiting the grave of a loved
one, to place a small stone on the grave to indicate that
someone has been there to mourn the  death and to convey
one's respect.  I don't know what the origin is, or if
there's another symbolic significance to the custom.
Masha
Dr. Masha K. Rudman
Professor/Director Elementary
Teacher Education Program   Rudman@educ.umass.edu           |

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Placing rocks on tombstones is an old Jewish custom. It
signifies that you have visited the grave. I just had this
as a reference question a few months ago, and there are
several explanations. One good answer was in the "Jewish
Book of Why." (Either 1 or 2). But of course, the book is at
work, and I am at home, so I will email you tommorrow with
more info.

Yapha Nussbaum
izzypg7@mvs.oac.ucla.edu
YaphaN@aol.com

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Hi, Mary Beth.  I happened to notice you message about the
rocks on tombstones.  I don't know the whole story, but I do
live across the street from a Jewish cemetery, and I
believe this has something to do with the Day of Atonement
(would that be Yom Kippur or Rosh Hoshanah?  I'm not sure,
and I'm not Jewish, either!)  On that holiday, there is a
ceremony at the cemetery with relatives (descendents)
standing at the graves and some kind of talk delivered
over a p.a. system by a rabbi.  Then they leave the stones.
I'm sure someone from LM-NET will give you the complete
explanation soon.

Hope work is enjoyable at AskERIC!
********************************************************************

I will be interested in the response to this question.  We
were  discussing this at school the other day.  ONe person
said he thought it  reveals respect for the deceased by
showing that he/she is still  remembered.  The rocks are
evidence that he/she is being visited  regularly and
thought of often.

Is that true?

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This was a topic on Stumpers-list in the past couple of
weeks.  In general, the replies to the question stated
that the tradition evolved from desert practices of
placing stones over a burial.  If anyone wants to follow
the discussion, Stumpers archives are now at a gopher
site.

Directions to Stumpers:

     gopher crf.cuis.edu
       8. Library Resources/
          6. STUMPERS Reference Questions Archive

If you don't have gopher software, you'll have to telnet
to a gopher site and go in from there.  Warning,
'Schindler' is misspelled in various ways in the subject
lines.

Dan Robinson
dan@info.hwwilson.com

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Although not validated, a Jewish teacher answered this
in the teacher's  lounge at lunch this week.  She tells us
that in speaking to a rabbi  recently he told her that it
probably comes from the ancient  practice of protecting
buried bodies from animals by desert peoples.
Eventually the practice became a religious, or
superstitious, act. I'll be interested to know what
other replies you get.

Helen McKeown, Library Media Specialist          hmckeown@bvsd.k12.co.us
     Centaurus High School                            (303)665-9211
     10300 S. Boulder Rd.
     Lafayette, CO 80026

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Mary Beth,
Placing rocks on or near the tombstones is a very old
Jewish custom.  Perhaps it was a way, more lasting than
flowers, to let people know the  site has been visited, is
being cared for, and the loved one is missed.

Allison G. Kaplan
Education Resource Center
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716-2940

akaplan@brahms.udel.edu

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Mary Beth McKee
AskERIC Network Information Specialist
mbmckee@ericir.syr.edu
ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology
Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. 13244
(315) 443-9114    FAX (315) 443-5448