The Jewish Cemetery adjoining the Moesstraat

Echo of an emotional past

Introduction

I know it sounds strange to say that a cemetery comes to life again without thinking of
resurrection. Even so, I have the feeling that it is lively there, since it has been thoroughly tidied up and the names have appeared again. During the month of July a number of people of the working-group "Church and Israel" from Bedum - under the auspices of the Foundation Penance and Reconciliation - have occupied themselves in tidying up the cemetery off the Moesstraat . Earlier on, an even smaller number of people spent over a year on the necessary preparations. In the seventies many stones were photographed, under supervision of Mr. de Vey Mestdagh, at that time State-Archivist. As a result of the renovation, I imagine, another 700 head-stones have been made visible and legible. In this way much new information became accessible.
At a rough guess still another 300 stones lie just beneath the surface, waiting for geophysical examination.

A walk over the cemetery

"You are a rascal!" rings in my head when I read that Philip van der Reis during his lifetime was a member of the brotherhood Bikkur Golim Kabraniem, that worked for the poor, the sick and the dead. In "The Jewish Community in the city of Groningen" Bert Schut sets out beautifully how our ancestors disagreed about the interpretation of a decree regarding a social benefit. The conflict arose from the question: should a widow or widower be entitled to money on the High Holidays as well? After all, one should not work on these days. Therefore no money can be earned. For us, grown up with social problems, a quite clear case. Then, however, there was so much confusion that it led to turbulent wrangling, which ended in court. The three Perels brothers in the Haddingestraat were fined for their violent quarrel with Michael Cohen. The lawsuit costs amounted to Dfl. 386,- and on top of that came a fine of Dfl. 12,-. Even then our law enforcers were obviously expensive boys! Had they not quarrelled, we should certainly have missed part of this colourful and bright life of our forefathers.
I walk to the far end of the cemetery and visit Michael Cohen's grave. I read: "He died in good repute on Saturday evening and was buried on Sunday the 12th Cheswan in the year 5551 (1792)". One may conclude that the good repute implied that the lawsuit in 1786 had fully exonerated him.
 

Walking back I suddenly notice a half-broken stone on which name and date of death are still visible, Samuel Zadok Blok! My grandfather's grandfather, therefore my great-great-grandfather. Born in Workum 1808, died in Groningen 1896. In 1832 he walked from Groningen to Brussels to fight against the Belgians. A diary of that campaign still exists. Day after day, there are short entries about the distance covered. In those days the pay amounted to 9 cents a day, war-bonus included! Not bad for that time. I still possess a photo of him, taken at a good old age, on which he is wearing the medal of honour of the Metal Cross, clearly visible and with apt pride.
Walking on along the western border to the first row in the cemetery I come to the pyramid- shaped grave of Samuel Jozef van Ronkel, standing quite on its own. Further on, I find a large double grave of his eldest son Jozeph Samuel, also on the first row. Samuel Jozef was a learned man, who in the 19th century started the separation movement "Teschuat Jisraël" in the Jewish Community. He knew perfectly well how to word his ideas. In fact, so well that his son Philip had himself smadden (baptized). Was this a protest against his learned father, or was it a purely religious matter? Later, much later, this mystery was solved in a very unexpected way. A stranger - to me - was walking around searching in the cemetery. On asking what he was looking for, he replied that he was looking for the grave of Samuel Jozef van Ronkel. I showed him the grave and told him of the relations in the family. When I presumed that Philip Jozef became converted out of protest against his strict and very devout father, he refuted this assumption and told me that he had graduated on this subject. I was astonished and nearly toppled over, but curiosity and a firm head-stone kept me on my feet. He introduced himself as Mr. van der Ploeg and proved to be a clergyman of the Reformed Church in Werkendam. The title of his thesis was a writing about the Jews who professed the Messiah, namely "Forgotten firstlings - Philippes S. van Ronkel".
He sent me the book, which I of course devoured with great interest. I have also looked up the original writings of Philip van Ronkel in the library of the University. It was a very interesting experience.

The distinctive Shul in use by the congregation was on the Zuiderdiep, rather ironically next to Mulder's -still existing - shop for merry-making articles. Many petitions were made by Samuel Jozef, also in order to obtain a separate graveyard for his new congregation in the city of Groningen.This was not to be. He, too, was buried in the Moesstraat cemetery! Van Ronkel's name was difficult to trace. The first van Ronkel arriving in the Netherlands was Jozef Philip (the father of Samuel Jozef), son of Philip Jozef who was married to Geertje Hartog Asbach. Eventually, through this name Asbach - I discovered the very place where they came from. The name Asbach reminded me of Asbach Uralt in the Lahn area in Germany. Considering that in the beginning of the 18th century there neither transport nor communication was available, the lovers must have found each other close to their homes. In fact, the village of Runkel lies very near to Asbach. Later on my presumption was affirmed by the death certificate of Jozef Philip, which clearly states that both parents had died in the village of Runkel.

Ah! That is a peculiar head-stone! The inscription:
Elias van der Zijl, born in Groningen on the 10th of February 1846.
Passed away in the Gulf of Aden on board the
steamship Telamon on the 24th of June 1886 and
brought here from the Isle of Perim
on the 2nd of May 1887.

The words have to sink in for a while and I need time to realise what happened. When Elias van der Zijl died at the age of 40, the s.s. Telamon, belonging to the Steamship Company Nederland in Amsterdam, was probably on her way home from the Dutch Indies to Amsterdam. The vessel, having just left Aden after bunkering coal, could not call at any port before Port Said. First, she had to navigate the Red Sea and the Suez Canal before reaching Port Said. At least 5 days' steaming. The captain certainly had no lead coffin on board - a regulation to carry a corpse -, neither could he obtain one. Owing to the high temperatures in the Red Sea (situated between two deserts) there was no time to be lost. Turning back to the port of Aden would certainly cause more than a day's delay. The midget island of Perim, at the entrance of the Red Sea, was according to the charts a good place to anchor - the captain had never been there - and it seemed possible to bury the body of Elias van der Zijl there for the time being.
It must have cost the captain much persuasion and many presents, financially as well, to convince the local authorities of the necessity to bury the body there. This must have caused at least half a day's delay. To the company the whole incident had to be accounted for. Therefore he will have been reasonably generous with his presents. Still more delay would have cost the company far more than the bakshis (alms) to the local authorities on the Isle of Perim!

On the first row we find the grave of Roosje Pinto. She was married to a gentleman called Chinasappel. This spelling originates of course from the time when it was thought that oranges came from China. We repeatedly find the name in the cemetery, but then spelt with an S -Sinaasappel also.

History

The history of the cemetery of the Moesstraat is closely connected with the history of the other graveyards in the city of Groningen. Merely the fact that at the far end you find the head-stones of the cemetery of the Jewish Camp, (see photo) shows how their histories are interwoven and cannot be seen separately from other Jewish graveyards in the city of Groningen. In 1954 these stones were transferred from the Jewish Camp to the Moesstraat. Was there still space in the Moesstraat cemetery? Obviously, there was. Also it is certain that during World War II much damage was done.

In general, the history of the cemeteries comes down to the following:

1747-1827: The cemetery at the Jewish Camp serves as a graveyard for the Jewish Congregation, established in 1744. At first there was no cemetery, although a place had been assigned. There was no response to the offer of the council of Groningen in the thirties of that century. Perhaps people did not like the place, maybe they were too poor or too thrifty? We can only guess. What we do know is that sometimes from the city of Groningen funerals took place in Oude Pekela, Delfzijl or Leeuwarden. It was only in 1747 that this cemetery was put into use. When the town grew in size and became more crowded -the graveyard had by then already been closed long ago- a wall was built around it to secure the eternal peace and shield the cemetery from vandalism. That was in 1895. Alas, this did not help. In 1954 the graveyard had to be evacuated.

1827-1906: The cemetery of the Moesstraat is in use. It is part of the Noorder Begraafplaats (Northern Graveyard) of the city of Groningen. There is a central path. Usually, burials start from here. We cannot be quite sure as the whole graveyard has not yet been mapped out. Later on a Metaheer-cottage (cleansing-cottage) was built, which is still there. In 1954 space was reserved at the far end of the graveyard, where the mortal remains from the Jewish Camp have been buried. In a square the matzeiwoth (head-stones) have been placed, which were transferred from the Jewish Camp. Together with an entrance gate, see attached photo. There are still 53 stones to be admired, in reasonably good condition and entirely renovated and painted. Because Mr. H.Helmantel- a famous painter in the Netherlands- from Stedum actively participated in the aforementioned working-group, one can say that a number of genuine Helmantels are there!

1906-today: Together with the new shul the new cemetery is put into use. Then named Winsumerstraatweg, now Iepenlaan. Just opposite the Selwerderhof. There is a Metaheercottage - you may call it a Metaheerhouse - and later on a house was added.
The Metaheerhouse even has a separate space from which Cohaniem can attend the divine service. Last summer the Metaheerhouse was completely renovated.
One has to realise that burials of the deceased did not comply with the aforementioned years of opening and closing. There have been a great number of overlaps as result of members wishing to be buried in the same place as their earlier deceased family. A distinct example of this is the grave of Estella Gerzon-Schaap, buried on the 26th of June 1944 in the Moesstraat cemetery!
The oldest head-stone there is of Mindele, daughter of Izaak, who died on the 8th of May 1747. So we find in the Moesstraat cemetery a history carved in stone that spans 200 years of Groningen Jewry. The stone-mason Dirks has played an important part in this in the 19th century.

Epilogue

As I have already mentioned the cemetery is now being mapped out and we are engaged in photographing the not portrayed stones so far. They are entered in a database which will include all head-stones of the Groningen Jewish Community. That makes it possible for us to know who is buried, where, which row and which place, complete with a picture of the head-stone. That database can be extended to the whole of the province. But I doubt if I shall see the result. The work now being carried out provides a source of inspiration and a warm feeling towards the lively history of our ancestors in the city of Groningen.

In the cemeteries one finds an epoch that stretches from the earliest history, as described by E.Schut in "The Jewish Community in the city of Groningen", up to the present day. Especially so, because there are no archives of the Jewish Congregation left. They were destroyed during the World War II and only fragments were eventually found. I consider it a cowed (honour) to have been occupied with this and with due respect revive again our ancestors in thought..

René S. de Vries.