By COLlive staff
Thousands of Lubavitcher kevorim at Old Montefiore Cemetery have been repaired, restored and beautified, thanks to an extensive project taking place quietly.
The project, sponsored and arranged by a group of Lubavitch businessmen, is spearheaded by R’ Shaya Gordon. They have undertaken to visit every Lubavitcher grave scattered across fourteen plots in the large cemetery, and repair or beautify each one as needed.
Gordon says the idea came up during a visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel, located in the same cemetery.
“Besides for visiting the Ohel, I also visit the kevorim of relatives and friends nearby, and I noticed that many graves had overgrown weeds, matzeivos that are sunken in to the ground and I have even noticed matzeivos that fell over and remained that way for extended periods of time,” he told COLlive.
On one of his visits, he noticed that all of the graves in the plot surrounding the Rebbe’s Ohel had been tended to, with matzeivos straightened, weeds removed, and fresh sand spread.
“I asked Rabbi Abba Refson, the director of Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, what had happened, and he explained that a donor had sponsored the work on over 100 kevorim in the Rebbe’s daled amos,” he said.
Hearing that gave him the idea to extend the project to every Lubavitcher kever across the entire cemetery.
“Every kever deserves to be clean, neat and respectable. Unfortunately, the high costs of upkeep had many of the kevorim looking far from that,” he told COLlive.
After he rallied the support of a number of businessmen from the worldwide Chabad community, he contacted R’ Shimon Goldberg, a member of the Lubavitch chevra Kadisha, who had been fixing and cleaning Kevorim for those that can afford the cost in the cemetery for some time and the project. Once they received the permission of the Lubavich chevra Kadisha and Agudas Chasidei Chabad, the project took off.
“The project budget to date is over forty thousand dollars, with even the simplest facelift costing a few hundred dollars,” Gordon said.
Each grave was tended to according to its needs. Some only needed weeds trimmed and a wash, some required the bed to be removed and the dirt refilled, some needed the matzeiva straightened and many other types of repairs. Each received a fresh layer of white stones, and a special product was spread to help stop weeds from growing around the plots.
“We are making sure to reach every Lubavitcher grave, including those that aren’t buried in the fourteen Lubavitcher chelkos,” he said.
Thirteen chelkos and many individual graves have already been tended to, with work underway on the fourteenth chelka as well. The project also served as an impetus for others to tend to their family members’ kevorim and even pay to fix complete strangers’, making the project’s reach extend even further.
Yet, despite all the time, effort and money invested, the group of businessmen is hoping that the impact from the project will be a short-lived one.
“We are waiting for Moshiach’s imminent arrival, at which point the beis hachayim will no longer be needed,” they said. “But until then, each chossid will be granted the proper respect they deserve.”
Photos below depict before and after the large scale restoration project, paid for both by the families as well as donors:
what about the perpetual care that every family has to pay the cemetery assoc. when you purchase a kever
Brochos to those involved
This is so incredible. A really creative thought. People involved should receive lots of brochos.
Brochos to all those involved!
The greatest mitzvah – chesed shel emes!
While we’re at it. Maybe we can put together an interactive map with all chabad kevorim?
This feels like “Chessed shel Emes” and is so appreciated. Respectful and baKoavodik…true Ahavas Yisroel.
Thank you for this kindness.
The Montreal chelkah was very overgrown last time I was there. Maybe they can be inspired to follow your example.
This is such a beautiful project thank you to all those that made this happen!
The cost of everything is up so much now. Shluchum and anash are struggling. It seems the money should have been used to help the living.
Unfortunately i think that this money could of been used for much better things, it’s one thing if it’s deteriorating but most of the graves over here are in very good condition.
There are plenty of other excessive expenditures to target–chessed shel emes is not one of them.
How about the fancy banquets or over-the-top simchos?
Helping maintain honor for the deceased is a very worthy cause.
But what about cleaning up כאן צוה??
Many of our kvorim are sinking, or developing large holes between graves because we put up matzeivos right after shiva, before the earth settles properly. Yasher koach to those involved in the mitzva of repairing this.
A big thank you to those that made this effort happen. They deserve a great deal of gratitude. However, this article is misleading. Most of the relatives were contacted by the tireless Reb Shimon Goldberg and paid for the work themselves. That was certainly true for our family, and also relatives of ours. Some of whom appear in the photos attached to this article. You can safely assume that when there was family available, they paid for the nice work themselves.
What a mitzvah.
Chesed shel emes.
…think how proud the Rebbe would be if that same effort were applied to the very old graves of people in far corners of Montefiore who have no family keeping up THEIR matseivos, as opposed to people with hundreds KAH of descendants who visit the Ohel.
Great project for you to take on
The initiative deserves thanks and appreciation.
Those who choose other projects to fund, gezunterheit, but don’t knock this project!
Kavid hameis is a principle and an ethic.
Halevei cemeteries should not be relevant anymore.
Moshiach now
How can we donate?
This is so kind and nice. Whoever is doing it should be blessed. Thank you!!
This is a beautiful project but it seems that many families were contacted and they paid for the repairs.
May we be zoche to the Geulah speedily
Thank you to all the people involved in this initiative. May the abishter bless you with everything that you need.
But why was this necessary?!
Will Montefiore Cemetery be refunding me the $3,300 they charged me, officially backed by NY State, for perpetual care of my relatives grave?
The cemetaries charge a “perpetual care fee” of around $3500 from each kever. This is regulated by the State. It is their responsibility to care for the graves and upkeep the area. Demand that they do their job!! Neglect is not perpetual care!
Outstanding project.
How can I get this fine st another cemetery. I don’t have the funds to fix my parents graves. How can I get help. Ty
How can I include 2 kvarim of family members buried at the Montefiore Cemetary to undergo this uplift as well
My email is [email protected]
Pls advise who I can contact
Thanks
I am very grateful.
Mee k’amcha k’Yiroel. Regardless of who paid for this project, someone cared enough to notice that work needed to be done, proceeded to hire a company to do it, and then came back to check that it was, indeed, properly done. Yiyasher kochachem! P.S. I hope the Montefoire people who responsible for the upkeep of the Bais Olam aren’t assuming that from here on in they can neglect their responsibilities to an even greater extent than they have thus far. As others have mentioned what exactly are they referring to when they charge the estate of a niftar/ nifteress a… Read more »
Instead of putting new small stones on the horizontal part of each kever, why not place a slab matching the vertical matzeiva? That would prevent dirt, leaves and rubbish that collects on the horizontal part. Every time it rains, it washes the slabs. And our departed do not need to worry about getting stuck underneath the slab during Techias HaMeisim because in Yechezk-l it says, “And I will break your graves, raise you up and take you to Israel”.