Jewish Federation, Cemetery Walk, make history

     

The Jewish Federation hosted a History Walk on Aug. 20 
at Hebrew Cemetery, Rock Island.

    The hot sun baked the Hebrew Cemetery in Rock Island on Sunday (Aug. 20), but that failed to deter some 150 folks who took part in a most interesting event.

    Organizers from Congregation Beth Israel of the Tri-City Jewish Center said they were concerned about the toasty weather during the Living Jewish History Epitaph Walk at the Hebrew Cemetery. 

    Dozens and dozens of bottled water was iced in coolers, and placed around the grounds. The Walk included several stops at tented areas, so attendees were able stand in the shade.

    Fascinating materials included a description of how the Hebrew Cemetery started; it took about two years for all parties to agree to allow the Cemetery Association to develop eight acres of land in South Rock Island Township. Approval was finally granted and the land was suitably developed in March, 1920. The first burial was in January, 1921, but the road to the site was undeveloped and pall bearers had to carry the body for about a half-mile, in mud!

    The road was improved in 1922.

    Representatives explained the cemetery was necessary to establish the local Jewish congregation in the first place. Grounds are divided into two areas: One dating from 1921, and the other from the modern era. In the older part, men are buried on one side, while their spouses are buried on the other side. Hence a long line of men's tombstones faces a long line of female tombstones. Women cannot be buried next to a man who was not her husband, so the graves alternate as husband, wife, husband, wife and so forth.

    The tour began with direct relatives who portrayed their honored kin. For example, Louis and Sadie Andich were represented by a grandson. He and his wife played the older couple, and explained they were born in Russia and emigrated to New York in 1911. Louis later owned the Rock Island News Agency, which included newspapers and the Readmore bookstore.

    Frank Weindruch, who died in 1957, was also featured in the tour. The elder Weindruch opened Eagle Kash and Karry Market in 1922, in East Moline. It was explained that the "Eagle" name came from a silver dollar, which has an eagle on one side to symbolize freedom. The original East Moline location eventually expanded into Eagle Food Stores.

    A younger relative posed as Louis Rich, founder and president of Louis Rich Foods located in West Liberty, Iowa. While the "Louis Rich" name is gone, the plant is still in service, processing turkeys. It was purchased by Oscar Meyer, and then by Kraft Foods. It has been one of the largest turkey processing plants in the United States.

    Other notable Jewish Rock Islanders in Hebrew Cemetery include: Archie Weindruch, of Bettendorf, who among other activities, started Archie's Levee Inn, on the Mississippi River in Davenport. In addition, there was Ruth Evelyn Katz, a noted patron and promoter of the arts; Kopl Vesole, who gave up his law practice in order to fight for the U.S. during World War II, and Sam Weisman, a prominent building contractor who is responsible for the Long View Apartments, and the WHBF building in downtown Rock Island.

    The tour ended with an explanation of the burial process. Deceased Jews are ritually washed and dressed in a white cloth pants-and-tunic ensemble. The bodies are placed in a casket made entirely of wood, with no metal components at all. A small amount of dirt from Israel is sprinkled on the body.

    The deceased are to be buried as soon as possible but there is lee-way for family members traveling home. There is no cremation or embalming in the Jewish tradition.

    Many gravestones in Hebrew Cemetery have small stones on top of them. This is to show the grave has been visited and the individual's memory continues.

    Here's one vote for this first-ever event to be repeated as often as possible.    

Yours truly was part of Group 6, the last group to
tour Hebrew Cemetery, Rock Island
in the first-ever History Walk.