The Cassipora Cemetary

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The oldest known Jewish cemetery in Suriname and in the Western Hemisphere, lies hidden in the savannah jungle, about 5 kilometers south of the Jodensavanne (about 50 kilometers south from Paramaribo, along the Suriname river). The site, about 275 by 250 feet. 216 tombstones out of an estimate of over 400 burials in the cemetery have been discovered and cleared from the jungle. The oldest tombstone dates back to 1666 while the latest is from 1873.

 

 

 

 

 

The Jodensavanne Cemetery: Beit Haim

 

The Beit Haim (House of Life in Hebrew) is rectangular, about 135 yards long and 70 yards wide, located past the foundations of the Bracha v' Shalom Synagogue.

 

462 tombstones out of an estimated 900 burials in the cemetery have been discovered and cleared from the jungle, which provides a beautiful natural setting for the cemetery. The oldest tombstone dates back to 1683 while the latest is from 1873.

Most of the existing tombstones were cut out of marble, limestone, blue and brown stones’, they were imported from Italy, engraved in Amsterdam and shipped to Suriname. The poor members of the community, who could not afford a stone, had wooden grave markers. Over the centuries, these wooden markers have decomposed and the graves are unmarked today.

 

          The Tombstones Inscriptions

 

The inscriptions are in Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, Aramaic and Dutch.

On almost every stone the letters “S” or “SA” are engraved. This is short for the Portuguese word Sepultura which means: Tombstone or Grave of. It is followed by the full name if a man, or, if a woman, by her given name and then the full name of her husband or father.

This is followed by the date of death (both the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars) and finally an acronym such as SAGDG at the end of the inscription. This is an abbreviation for Sua Alma Goze Da Gloria, which means May his/her soul delight in glory.

 

          The Tombstones Symbols

 

Many tombstones have engraved figures or symbols despite the biblical prohibition against grave images (Ex 20: 2 – 5). Some symbols are among the finest in the world! The symbols that frequently appear are:

 

• Two hands with fingers spread denote a Cohen (a descendent of a temple priest)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• A pitcher from which water is being poured, indicates that a Levite (the person who washed the hands of the Cohen in ancient times)

 

• Tree being falled by the Angel of Death or the Hand of G-d. Mostly this refers to a life that ended before its time (early death)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Skull and crossed bones. This emblem is better known as a sign used by 17th and 18th century pirates on their battle flags. To the Portuguese Jews in Cassipora and the Jodensavanne, it signified Time and Death reflecting the words of Genesis 3:19: “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shall return”

 

• A Mohel (circumciser) might be shown performing the rite on a baby; is or commonly indicated by surgical utensils or the box in which those utensils were kept

 

• Other common symbols are: grapes clusters and bread tables