1

Hannah Donner
REL 167
Professor Homerin
11/01/10

The Jewish Poor Lot: Its

Rediscovery and its Story
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Abstract

This paper is a description and interpretation of the Jewish Poor Lot monument located within Mt.

Hope Cemetery. This stone was erected in 1997 to honor poor members of the Jewish community of

Rochester, who died between the years 1886 and 1910. Of the 100 people buried here, eighty-five are

children, demonstrating the common loss of young people at this time in history, due to poor living

conditions and lack of proper medicine. The remaining fifteen adults buried here are most likely those

who lacked the necessary means to purchase a headstone within the Temple B'rith Kodesh lot of the

cemetery, or may have been placed here due to their taboo cause of death (i.e. Suicide), deeming them

unfit to be buried among the majority. Although those buried in the Jewish Poor Lot left this world

without much of a legacy for future generations, the stories of the people briefly mentioned in this

research will now live on. This paper includes information from the obituaries of Bertha Edelstein

(1849-1910), Herman Weil (1876-1895), Benjamin Landlau (1847-1888), and Myer Feit (1833-1886).

Also briefly mentioned in this essay are the only two gravestones located in this lot, belonging to Lester

Rosen and Pearl Hirshman. The names of the first person buried here, Yette Rosenberg, and the last

person buried here, Morris Cohen, are mentioned in the paper as well.
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Introduction

It was a cold October day in the year 2005. Members of Rochester's Temple B'rith Kodesh

were cleaning up sections of Mt. Hope Cemetery as an act of community service, yet little did

participant Earl Gurell realize that he would make an important discovery on that day. In visiting

numbers 396 and 397 within Section O of the cemetery, Mr. Gurell could see that much of the area had

been desecrated due to both time and vandalism. He noticed the Hebrew inscriptions there however,

and found that this Jewish burial site dated back to the year 1849. This very old section was purchased

on April third, 1848, and was later revealed to be the first public Jewish lot in the entire city of

Rochester. After conducting further research to find all of the B'rith Kodesh congregants buried in this

cemetery, Mr. Gurell stumbled upon information regarding something called “The Jewish Poor Lot”.

This second location was purchased in 1885 for one dollar, specifically for the poorer members of the

Jewish community, and is located in Section Y, Lot 6 of the cemetery. It was only used between the

years 1886 and 1912, and contains eighty-five children and fifteen adults. Of these 100 people, only

two individual monuments are present at the site. The exact location of the remaining 98 people buried

in the Jewish Poor Lot is to this day unknown (interview with Mr. Gurell). Although this may frustrate

surviving family members of the deceased today, the personal stories of these people reveal much more

valuable information. From conducting research on this particular plot, there is now a clearer

understanding of the kind of lives these people led, and how, in many cases, this kind of life resulted in

their eventual deaths. Before the year 2006, The Jewish Poor Lot of Mt. Hope Cemetery was unknown

to the general public. Without the hard word of congregation members such as Earl Gurell, it is likely

that the fascinating histories of the members buried therein would have been lost for generations.
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Location of the Jewish Poor Lot within Section Y of Mt. Hope Cemetery.

History of Jews in Rochester

To put things in perspective, Rochester officially became a city in 1834, and by 1850 had

approximately 36,000 inhabitants (Eisenstadt, 3). Between 1820 and 1880 more than 200,000 Jews

migrated to the US from Central Europe, a time known as the “German Period” of American Jewish

history. Many of these immigrants originally came from Bavaria, Wurttemberg, and other southwest

German states (Eisenstadt, 4). By 1880, Eastern European Jews started coming to Rochester and

elsewhere in the US, and soon they outnumbered the older Jewish community seven-fold (Eisenstadt,

92)! In 1875, of the 81,722 people living in Rochester (Rochester Directory of 1880, 19), the Jewish

population reached somewhere around 3,000 people (Eisenstadt, 92). In 1890, out of the 133,896
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people living in Rochester (Rochester Directory of 1891, 13), approximately 5,000 of them were Jews

(Eisenstadt, 92). By 1910, of the 218,149 people living in Rochester (Rochester Directory of 1911,

13), 11,000 were Jewish (Eisenstadt, 92).

Although many Jewish newcomers were very poor, there were also a great number of them,

enabling the group to cluster together in entire neighborhoods and gradually assimilate to American

culture. American Judaism at this time was interestingly enough not unified by the Orthodox (the most

traditional), Conservative (less traditional, yet adhering to old customs), or Reform (most assimilated to

American culture) schools of thought that we have today. Rather, individual Jewish congregations of

the 1840's and 1850's independently determined their own religious practices and rituals (Eisenstadt,

10). Many of the customs practiced at this time however would today be considered the most

traditional, and thus by modern standards, Orthodox.

History of Temple B'rith Kodesh

On October 9, 1848, Temple B'rith Kodesh--Rochester's first Jewish congregation-- was

established (Eisenstadt, 8). Twelve congregation members met each week at the house of Harry Levi,

located at the corner of North Clinton and Bowery Streets (Eisenstadt, 8). A formal place of meeting

was not established until April of 1849, when the congregation reached eighteen members. In this

year, Temple B'rith Kodesh rented space on the third story of building No. 2 on Front Street, directly

above the home of Rochester's first Odd Fellows Lodge (10). The congregation remained there until

1855, when property was purchased on St. Paul Street (Eisenstadt, 72). In 1894, Temple B'rith Kodesh

moved to Gibbs Street, where it remained until a newer, larger location was built in 1962 on Elmwood

Avenue, where it remains today (Eisenstadt, 107).

As early as 1860, Temple B'rith Kodesh began adopting customs resembling that of traditional

American churches, perhaps to become more assimilated within American culture. In this year,
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Temple B'rith Kodesh began using organ music in services (Wile,12), and by 1869, family pews were

brought into the community, discontinuing the tradition of men and women sitting separately (11). In

only a matter of decades, the traditional, Orthodox community of Temple B'rith Kodesh had

completely transformed to meet the standards of “Americanized” Reform Judaism. By the end of the

19th century, B'rith Kodesh became one of the most influential congregations within the Rochester

reform movement (Eisenstadt, 78). To put the size of the Temple B'rith Kodesh community in

perspective, all 100 people buried in the Jewish Poor Lot were congregants of this synagogue.

The first public Jewish lot in Rochester, purchased by Temple B’rith Kodesh in 1848.
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Locations for Temple B’rith Kodesh included Front Street (1848- 1856), Saint-Paul Street (1856-1894),
and Gibbs Street (1894-1962), all in the northeastern section of the city.

The Stone

The stone for the Jewish Poor Lot was erected on August 12, 2007. At the top of the stone, we

see a Star of David, the most traditional symbol of Judaism. The epitaph reads that the Jewish

Community provided for their burial, and includes the quotation from Rabbi Gamaliel, “All are equal

before God”. Below this, we see the common quote from the First Book of Samuel, “May their souls

be bound up in the bond of eternal life”, suggesting that although the body fails to continue after death,

the soul itself is forever preserved. We also see this in the Hebrew-abbreviated form, with the letters

“taf, nun, tsadi, vav, and hay” (Abbamonte, 5). This line of thought is similar to that of Lakoff and

Turner, who discuss the common metaphors combining death and time. Their commentary regarding
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these two ideas points to the metaphor which states, “events are actions, time moves, and life is a

journey” (46). With the nuanced combination of these three concepts, we arrive at the idea, “death is a

pursuer” (46), and are left with the idea that the soul lives on forever after death.

The Jewish Poor Lot, purchased in 1885.

The Lot Itself

The Jewish Poor Lot has people who died anywhere between 1886 and 1912. The first person

buried here was Yette Rosenberg, who was interred on May 23, 1886 after suffering chronic

rheumatism. She was fifty-eight years old. The most recent burial in this lot was of Morris Cohen,

who was interred on September 4, 1910, after losing a battle against pulmonary tuberculosis at the age

of twenty. According to the interment records of Mt. Hope Cemetery, some of the more common
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causes of death for both adults and children buried here include tuberculosis, diphtheria, and marasmus

(malnutrition). In addition, most of the infants buried here were stillborn. As stated before, the Jewish

Poor Lot only includes two tombstones, that belonging to Pearl Hirshman- who at the age of fifty-three

died of exhaustion- as well as Lester Rosen, who died at age ten of diphtheria. Both tombstones are

entirely in Hebrew, except for the “Americanized” version of each of their names. Unlike Pearl

Hirshman, the letters on Lester's stone had not completely worn away. His epitaph reads: “Here is

buried my son, the young man Eliezar, son of Shimshon Aharon dies 12 Shivan 1 1911/ “May his soul

be with the souls of the living”.

Pearl Hershman/Hirshman (surname spelling varies depending on source material), (1837-1890).

1 Shivan is a month of the Hebrew Calendar.

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Lester Rosen (referred to as Lazarus in the interment records, but Lester in his obituary and on the

stone itself), (1901-1911).

Bertha Edelstein

Although the majority of the people buried in the Jewish Poor Lot were children, there are

fifteen adults buried in this section of the cemetery as well. Many of these older members of the

community have fascinating personal stories to tell. One very interesting woman buried here for

example, Bertha Edelstein, was married to a bartender by the name of Charles Edelstein. According to
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the vital index Records from this time, she was born in 1849 and was married in Germany in 1881. She

came to Rochester in 1886, and eventually had four children. None of Bertha's children were alive

however when she died on April 16, 1910. In the issue of Democrat and Chronicle from April 17, the

story of Bertha Edelstein's death was published. According to the article, Bertha was lighting her gas

stove at her home on Kelly St., when suddenly her clothes caught fire, resulting in terrible burns on her

entire body. Investigators speculate that she delayed slightly in putting the match to the gas over the

jets of the stove, and as a result a puff of fire caught to her light clothing. W.J. Hoffman, a carpenter

who was working outside of the home when the accident occurred, heard the cries of Mrs. Edelstein

and tried to put the fire out. In his attempt to save her, he too received some burns, though his injuries

were not life-threatening. Mrs. Edelstein was rushed to Homeopathic Hospital where she died at 6PM.

According to the article, Bertha was fifty years old at the time of her death (page 21), though the

interment records state that she was sixty-one years old. From this discrepancy, it is likely that Bertha

Edelstein lied about her age to the census collectors at this time. This tragic story reveals the danger in

using home appliances at this time in history. The fact that her “slight delay” in touching her match to

the gas jet could have caused such an accident is a testimony to the hazardous life the poor endured at

this time.

Herman Weil

Another intriguing story from another member of the Jewish Poor Lot belongs to that of

Herman Weil, who lived at 16 Leopold St. According to the Union and Advertiser, Mr. Weil

committed suicide outside of a barbershop between State and Miller Streets on January 20, 1895.

According to witnesses, Mr. Weil acted very strangely before taking his own life. After paying the

landlady of his boarding house one dollar for his rent, he told her that he would return shortly thereafter

to pay the remaining amount. Where he went next we will never know, but it was believed that he then
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visited the local pawn shop to purchase a gun. He then entered Miller Brothers' Barbershop at 9

Mumford St. early in the evening and was shaved. He left the shop, walked toward Front St., and

looked for a long while into the window of the barbershop. At 8:30 PM he decided to take out an

American bull-dog 32-calibre revolver (with the price-tag of $2.50 still on it!) and shot himself in the

mouth. Mr. Weil was taken to City Hospital, where he suffered from hemorrhages and died at around

11:00 that evening. Herman had three brothers- Alfred, Ernest, and Henry, and all of them reported

their utter shock regarding their brothers' suicide. No one had a credible explanation as to why Herman

would have committed such an act-- there was no indication that he was in debt, or that he was

undergoing a particularly emotional time in his life. Mr. Weil had a job in the tailoring establishment

on St. Joseph Street, and had been earning “fair wages”. According to the article, he took full

advantage of his extra money, making sure he always dressed and presented himself well. When

investigators searched his pockets to find clues regarding his suicide, they found a letter from his

mother in Germany, saying that she was ill. In addition to discussing her poor health, his mother also

chided him for not writing to her more often. Because there had been no evidence claiming that

Herman Weil had financial or emotional problems, it appears from this article that investigators pointed

to his mother's health as a possible reason for suicide (page 9).

Benjamin Landlau

Another sad story of a man who took his own life belongs to Benjamin Landlau. According to

the Union and Advertiser, Mr. Landlau killed himself in his home on Mortimer Street on either the

evening of September 16th, or the early morning of September the 17th of 1888. He shot himself in the

right temple with a revolver loaded with a 44 calibre cartridge, and Mr. L.C. Frickey, his nurse, found

him dead in his bedroom the morning of September the 17th. In determining a possible motivation for

his suicide, people speculate that his poor health may have been a factor- prior to this event, he had
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been in and out of City Hospital, receiving treatment for spinal problems. In addition to his poor

health, it is also important to understand that at one time in his life he was well-to-do, and his lower

rank in society at the time could have also been a reason for ending his life. In his younger, healthier

years, Landlau was a partner in the clothing business with ex-police commissioner Joseph Rosenthal,

and afterward he served as a partner of Charles P. Best in the manufacturing of gentleman's neckwear.

He had no relatives in the Rochester area, but many friends (page 2). It is hinted in this article that

either or both Mr. Landlau's poor health and his worsened financial situation motivated him to take his

own life.

Myer Feit

One final fascinating story regarding a member of the Jewish Poor Lot is of the man Myer Feit.

As the Union and Advertiser suggests, on September 21, 1886, Mr. Feit was attacked and murdered

outside of his home on Tyler Street by a man named David Bradley. According to two witnesses at the

scene of the crime, Mr. Bradley was standing outside of Mr. Feit's place of residence and refused to

leave. After Mr. Feit ordered him again to go home, he began following the perpetrator, blowing his

whistle to alert the police of this unwanted visitor. Mr. Bradley eventually lost his patience with the

irritated Mr. Feit and assaulted the man on the sidewalk, in public view. The injuries Mr. Feit suffered

were not fatal-- in fact, doctors found all of his vital organs unharmed from the assault. After

performing a full body evaluation, medical staff concluded that Mr. Feit merely had a fractured right

tibia and fibula, a broken nose, and a few cuts on his face. Even though his injuries would not

normally have resulted in death, Mr. Feit died later that evening, diagnosed by doctors as the result of

“mental shock” (page 2). This rather alarming story demonstrates how seemingly simple decisions can

at times lead to major consequences. Had Mr. Feit failed to follow and aggravate Mr. Bradley after he

started walking away, it is likely that his life would have been spared.
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The stories of Bertha Edelstein, Herman Weil, Benjamin Landlau, and Myer Feit reveal

interesting, and in some instances, timeless situations that result in death. We see here how factors

such as poor health of a loved one, of one's self, or even the loss of one's position in society can cloud a

person's judgment—something that still speaks to people of today. From Bertha Edelstein and Myer

Feit's tales, we are shown the potential dangers resulting from small decisions, whether it is when to

light a stove or when to walk away from a threatening stranger.

Reactions to Suicide in the Community

Within the Jewish community, suicide has traditionally been widely shunned. This is discussed

in Sanhedrin 47a, where the Jewish assembly in Biblical Israel argues that “one does not bury a

righteous person next to a wicked person”. In other words, those identified as “impious Jews” (i.e. one

who commits suicide) had to be buried separately from the community (Torah.org). According to the

Mt. Hope interment records, no people who died by suicide were buried in the regular Temple B'rith

Kodesh Lot of 1848. It is likely then that both Herman Weil and Benjamin Landlau failed to be buried

there for dogmatic, rather than financial reasons.

Conclusion

The very notion of constructing a stone to honor those buried in the Jewish Poor Lot is an

example of what Lifton refers to as “biological immortality”-- that is, the desire for a family to preserve

one's memory. From this stone, we see how the Jewish community of B'rith Kodesh views all fellow-

congregants as “family”, even one-hundred years after they are living. As a result, this rededication

ceremony unified people of the B'rith Kodesh community, regardless of their generation. Before 2007,

when Earl Gurell and his team erected this stone to memorialize The Jewish Poor Lot, the stories of

these former members of the community would have most likely remained forever unknown.
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Names of Discussed People Buried Here:

Yette Rosenberg: (1828-1886)

Morris Cohen: (1892-1912)

Lester Rosen: (1901-1911)

Pearl Hirshman: (1837-1890)

Bertha Edelstein: (1849-1910)

Herman Weil: (1876-1895)

Benjamin Landlau: (1847-1888)

Myer Feit: (1833-1886)

Keywords:

Shivan: month of the Hebrew Calendar

Temple B’rith Kodesh of Rochester, NY

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Bibliography

Abbamonte, Sarah. Care for the dead: Field Reports from Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY. 2008.

Edelstein, Bertha: Ancestry.com.

<http//search.ancestrylibrary.com/Browse/print_aspx?dbid=7602&ii>.

Eisenstadt, Peter. Affirming the Covenant: A History of Temple B'rith Kodesh. Rochester, NY: Temple
Mercury Print Productions, Inc., 1999.

Haskin, Smith. Rochester Directory of 1880. Rochester, NY: Drew, Allis and Co. Publishers, 1880.

Haskin, Smith. Rochester Directory of 1891. Rochester, NY: Drew, Allis and Co. Publishers, 1891.

Haskin, Smith. Rochester Directory of 1911. Rochester, NY: Drew, Allis and Co. Publishers, 1911.

Interview with Earl Gurell, 27 Oct. 2010.

Lakoff, George, and Mark Turner. More than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor.
Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1989.

Lifton, Robert J. The Broken Connection: On Death and Continuity of Life. New York: Basic Books,
Inc., Publishers, 1983.

Obituary of Bertha Edelstein. 17 April, 1910: Democrat and Chronicle.

Obituary of Myer Feit (22 Sept., 1886), Benjamin Landlau (17 Sept., 1888), and Herman Weil (21 Jan.,
1895): Union and Advertiser.

Pamphlet from Rededication Ceremony. 12 Aug. 2007.

Torah.org. Vol. 1, Digest 25. 5 Dec. 2010. <http://www.torah.org/learning/issues/tattoo.html>.

Wile, Isaac A. The Jews of Rochester. Rochester, NY: Historical Review Society, 1912.
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