Houses of Life: Jewish Cemeteries of Europe [Hardcover]

House of life is a euphemistic term used by Jews for cemeteries. It's beth hachaim in Hebrew. This term is often used because it implies that cemeteries are where the dead await the coming of the Messiah and their resurrection. House of eternity (beth olam) is also used; as is beit kevarot, house of graves.

A group of Jews settling in a new place would establish a cemetery before they would a synagogue. Since Jews were often not allowed to buy land, a group would try to lease a suitable plot of land for centuries in the hope they would eventually be able to buy it. Despite the problems and obstacles Jews had in obtaining land for cemeteries, as this work evidences, they nonetheless were able to establish cemeteries throughout Europe, including major cities, which have endured for centuries. Whatever arrangements were made for use of the land, they were reliable enough so that Jews put much planning into the cemeteries and large tombstones and mausoleum-like structures were common features. Antique architectural plans and old city maps and plans marking the areas of Jewish cemeteries attest to their permanence and acceptance. A German landscape artist, the author Jacobs is not only interested in presenting the survival of Jewish cemeteries throughout history and the establishment of more recent ones, but also in their evolution from Roman times, how they reflected the culture around them, and in some cases as with cemeteries founded after the Holocaust, the particular circumstances of their founding.

"This book charts this process of change [in Jewish cemeteries] in Europe...starting with the catacombs in Ancient Rome." Jacobs' evolutionary perspective then moves to Jewish cemeteries in the Middle Ages, followed by the Renaissance and Baroque Periods. The geographical area covered in the time period coming down to post-World War II extends from England to Eastern Europe and Istanbul, from St. Petersburg in Russia to the Iberian Peninusla. Cities and towns of all sizes are included not only to show the variety of Jewish cemeteries, but also how they reflected the local or regional architecture of the period and the customs of the broader culture. Thus cemeteries not only in the major cities of Paris, London, and Berlin are represented, but so are ones in the villages and small towns of Venosa, Furth, and Faro. Jacobs' tour not only takes one to the venerable, far-flung, varied Jewish cemeteries throughout Europe, but is also a narrative on aspects of Jewish culture and burial customs throughout the ages. Sephardim and Ashkenazim culture within Judaism and the renewal of Jewish religion and culture after World War II partly through the founding of new cemeteries are particular topics Jacobs turns to in the broad historical approach. "How is this returning life reflected in the continent's post-war cemeteries?" is a question answered with both text and photographs.

The variety of Beyer's photographs and related historical visual matter match the range and specifics of Jacob's text. The abundant photographs range over inscriptions on tombs, above-ground ornate, antiquated tombs, park-like areas, vaulted walkways, old iron fences, high surrounding walls, buildings, and in a few instances, adjacent neighborhoods.

This book is a must have for anyone interested in either Jewish History, Genealogy, or Gravestone Art. Several things make this book fantastic: one, it provides a history of European Jewish cemeteries from the early Roman period through today. Two, it is beautifully illustrated: in addition to featuring some of the most important artwork created about these cemeteries (including the cover illustration by Chagal and the Prague Cycle), it is richly illuminated by the photographs of Hans Dietrich Beyer. I also appreciated the range of cemeteries Jacobs covers: although I own a book by Minna Rosen on the Haskoy Cemetery in Istanbul, I liked being able to see the photographs of that cemetery next to ones from the same era from elsewhere in Europe and hearing how it differed stylistically from other Sephardic cemeteries. The city maps with the cemeteries highlighted are awesome, as are the archival photographs.

Although some of the ground covered in this book has also been explored by Hannelore Kunzl in Judische Grabkunst von der Antike bis heute (German Edition), Jacobs' book will have the strong advantage for most American readers of being in English. Given the large number of color photographs and images and the large number of communities and cemeteries it covers, this book is extremely well priced at $65 USD.