Lodz Cemetery

I met with Hubert Rogozinski, my multi-lingual chain-smoking taxi-driving Lodz tour guide this morning and headed out to the Lodz Cemetery, the largest Jewish graveyard in Europe. Founded in 1892, about 160,000 people are buried in this 100-acre graveyard. During the 100 years of the cemetery's history, many famous people such as rabbis, teachers, industrialists, doctors, politicians, social activists, etc. are buried here.

Many of my Dobrzynski relatives are buried here as well, including my great-grandfather Chaim and great-grandmother Cypra Mindla. Most of the cemetery is completely overgrown. Since the weather in Lodz today is wet and cold, my shoes, socks and pants bottoms were soaking wet within minutes of walking to the first gravestones. Fortunately, there are no snakes in this place, but getting to some of the stones requires carefully walking on fallen moss-covered stones and paths that are blocked by trees. Hubert reminded me that the growth that I see, including large trees, has evolved since World War II.

Another area of the Cemetery is the Ghetto Field which is relatively barren. Few trees grow in this section--perhaps nature's way of telling us that those who died here are directly under heaven's gaze. They are the victims of the Holocaust--43,000 people who died of starvation and illness in the Lodz Ghetto. There are very few tombstones. Three of my relatives, including the only Galas in this cemetery, are buried in unmarked areas in Ghetto Field.

Hubert located 18 "matsevoht" or gravestones from my long list of family names. As we approached my great-grandmother's cemetery. I think they were with an organization known as Walk for the Living. I asked Hubert to say Kaddish over Cypra Mindla's resting place, which he did, but then he said to me, "We can get a minyan" (a group of 10 Jewish males) and off he went to find the Israelis. A short time later, these young men gathered around my great-grandmother's grave and responded in unison to Hubert's prayer. I was moved by the sight of these young men who seemed happy to be of help.

Eighty-one years have passed since my great-grandmother died. She had five children, at least three of whom died in the Holocaust, including my grandmother. She had at least 17 grandchildren, and many of them perished as well. But some of Cypra Mindla's offspring survived. Today, her great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren live in the United States, Israel, and Canada. May she rest in peace. Yitgaddal veyitqaddash shmeh rabba.