A LACONIC PLAQUE on the north wall of our bimah states that our congregation will say Kaddish eternally for Ben Levy on his yohrtsayt, the 16th of Tevet. Indeed, we did so on the Shabbat immediately preceding the 100th anniversary of his death, just a few weeks ago.
Over the years, the synagogue has gone to some lengths to keep Mr. Levy’s name alive—apparently to accord with promises that were made to his widow.
Below the jump, this post documents five signs about Ben Levy that have been posted at Mishkon through the years. In addition, his impressive and informative tombstone is discussed.…
SUMMARY: Ben Levy died on Jan. 12, 1925. His devoted widow erected an elaborate tombstone for him. And in his memory some 23 years later (!), she made an apparently large and important donation to Mishkon, which funded the construction of both our bimah and its Ark. In return, the congregation’s leaders posted a series of signs—and promised to keep remembering him each year, forever.
Dedication Day (Sept 1948)
This photograph documents what seems to have been the original dedication ceremony in 1948. A temporary sign visible above the Ark says in English:
This pulpit & Oron-Kaydesh [אָרוֹן קֹדֶשׁ] donated by Mrs. Ben Levy.
Senior Sisterhood on the bimah (circa 1950)
In this undated photograph, a more permanent sign, written entirely in Hebrew, is centered above the Ark (in a spot whose wood finish today still looks different from the surrounding finish). Although not entirely legible in this scanned photo, it seems to read much the same as the other signs documented here. The largest letters say:
דוב צבי ב״ר אריה לייב ליוואי[Dov Zvi ben Reb Aryeh Leib Levy.]
The Hebrew spelling indicates that Ben pronounced his last name LEE-vī, rather than LĀ-vee or LEE-vee.
(Note that several additional painted decorations were visible on the walls around the bimah, compared to the Dedication Day.)
1st sign found in the mezzanine
It reads:
My translation:
2nd sign found in the mezzanine
This unusual and impressive sign is about 6' long, which is why it is photographed in 3 parts. It appears to be the same one that was mounted above the Ark in the 1950s-era photo shown above. And it is heavy: it seems to be glass (!) affixed to a green backing with raised letters whose surfaces were painted gold. I myself have never seen a sign that was made quite like this.
This sign gives Mrs. Levy’s name as: Gittel Levi bat Reb Yisrael Replianske, which is an unusual last name (= רפליאנסקי Replyansky). It also specifies that הקהילה תשגיח שהקדיש יאמר “the congregation will ensure that the Kaddish is said” on the day of his passing.
3rd sign found in the mezzanine
This sign is about 2' long, made of poured glass. The surface coating seems to be flaking off. The wording is essentially the same as on the large glass sign, although it doesn’t mention the widow’s Hebrew name.
Present sign on the bimah, north wall
On the left, the partially obscured fine print reads:
CONG. WILL ETERNALLY OBSERVE HIS KADISH
And on the right, the Hebrew can be translated as:
A most impressive tombstone
Previously, Ben Levy’s widow had commissioned a most impressive tombstone.
He was buried at Beth Israel Cemetery, located east of Boyle Heights. The tombstone is inscribed on both sides. On its face, at the top, it features his photograph. Then in Hebrew, it says that he was born (circa 1870) in a small town in Poland, lived for 55 years, and then returned his soul to God. In English, the following notice is added:
Alaska pioneer: On its snow fields he labored. His earnings he hath scattered abroad. To the needy and helpless he hath given it.
On the back of the tombstone is again his photograph at the top, and then a Hebrew poem of lament, comprised of ten rhyming couplets, forming an acrostic of his Hebrew name.
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