Also a one hour indoor presentation can be given.
The land for this cemetery was purchased in November 12 of 1923 and the land prepared during 1924.
stop 1 – Rodphey Sholom Chapel
The chapel in front of you was built in 1942 as a holy place for funeral ceremonies. It is now a work shed. The Hebrew letters give its name and year.
stop 2 – Gates of Rodphey Sholom Cemetery
The Rodphey Sholom Cemetery of Chicopee belongs to the Congregation Rodphey Sholom of Holyoke. Their synagogue is at the corner of Northampton Street and Forer Avenue. The cemetery is on the upper part of Pendleton Avenue in Chicopee. It was started in 1924 and thus most burials are recent.
stop 3 – Rabbi Leib Forer mausoleum
Rabbi Leib Forer is buried here with his wife in a mausoleum. He was the rabbi of both the Sons of Zion synagogue and the Rodphey Sholom synagogue. Forer was born in Belarus. His wife Minucha Mosha Gafanovich was born in Lithuania. Leib has a FINDAGRAVE page.
stop 4 – Old Burials
The first burial was of Riva Levinson Finkelstein who died the 5th of August 1928. There are a few other old stones near her from 1929 and 1930. FINDAGRAVE
Also Annie Suher is near her.
stop 5 – Belsky Monument
Tucked away in the northwest corner of the cemetery is the Belsky monument. This is perhaps the largest family monument in this cemetery. The matriarch is HERE.
Behind it is the only baby stone in this burial ground. – FINDAGRAVE
stop 6 – Sons of Zion Synagogue and Cemetery
Epstein family of Holyoke had members in both congregations. A trip to the Sons of Zion Cemetery might be of interest.
stop 7 – Congregation Rodphey Sholom of Holyoke
LINK to more information about the synagogue
The Rodphey Sholom Synagogue was at 300 Park Street in Holyoke.
EXTERNAL LINK to an image
Sanborn 1915 map of the Jewish synagogue
Sanborn 1956 map – gone but map B shows it at new location
stop 8 – Interesting Stones
Evelyn Belsky
Harry Saltzmann – 4 boys drowned in the Connecticut River on August 22 1929
Nathan Feldman was the first president of the Congregation Rodphey Sholom.
Stop 9 – Hebrew Script
There are 4 lines of Hebrew script in a typical gravestone here. The top three lines are usually repeated in English below. The first line is the greeting to the relative. The second line is the name. The third line is the date. The fourth line is “Tie a bond with eternity”.
At times the 4 lines are reduced to 2 lines.
