Dr Megan Wang (née Kelleher)

The Commission headstone is among the most iconic feature of the organisation’s work, with its unique shape being recognisable across the world. These grave markers contain information about the casualty, shared by various groups including the War Office and the families, and can provide a significant insight into both the feelings of the bereaved and the individual remembered there.

While visitors may focus on the personal inscriptions on a Commission headstone, which are often among the most poignant reminders of the grief felt by the loved ones left behind, there are also a range of unique features that appear on a standard Commission headstone. In this blog, I wanted to highlight some aspects of the headstones placed on Jewish casualties, and how these were connected to historic mourning practices utilised by this community.

For those who have not seen a standard Commission headstone before, you will usually find the following included:

• A national symbol or regimental badge, depending on the country of service for the war dead.
• Service particulars, including a rank, initials and last name, the unit served with and possibly a service number.
• The date of death and sometimes the age at death.

Moreover, in some instances a religious emblem and/or a personal inscription are often included. These additional details were often provided by the next of kin, and so not all headstones may have these details.

Although exact numbers of different religious groups remembered by the Commission are difficult to obtain, there are over 3000 headstone schedules that include reference to a “Jewish” emblem being included upon it from both World Wars. As with much of the Commission’s work, exact numbers of particular types of war dead are difficult due to a number of reasons; in the cases of Jewish casualties, the caveats to consider include but are not limited to:

• Those commemorated on memorials do not have a religious emblem included next to their names.
• If the next of kin were not contactable by the War Office or the Commission, or requested for a Magen David not to be included on their relative’s headstone, the information to the casualty’s religious background may not be available.

The Magen David (Star of David)

On many Jewish headstones cared for by the Commission, a Magen David is found. Although commonly known as the “Star of David”, it actually directly translates to “Shield of David” as it is believed that this featured on King David’s shield. While this symbol is commonly associated with the Jewish people in modern times, this is a relatively new motif of Judaism. It appears that this was chosen by the representatives of the Jewish community invited to advise the Commission on the best way to commemorate Jewish dead during the organisation’s formative years, which is why this features on a standard Commission headstone. However, as mentioned previously, it should be noted that not everyone wanted this emblem to symbolise their Jewishness; this is another reason why some of the graves of Jewish casualties do not have a Magen David on them.

In the middle of the Magen David on a standard Commission headstone, Hebrew script is included and this phrase is fascinating in its own right. Although some people may confuse it with the tetragrammaton (the four-letter word for God that is so holy to the Jewish people that it is hardly ever said), this is not the word engraved on the stone. Instead, the letters tav, nun, tsadei, bet and hei are engraved; this word, Tantzevah, is the abbreviation of the phrase “Tehi Nishmato Tsrurah biTsror haHayim” is included. This phrase comes from Samuel 1 25:29 in the Bible, and directly translates to “May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.” What is particularly poignant about this inclusion is that this phrase is a common feature of all Jewish graves with headstones marking them; if you were to visit a Jewish cemetery, you would find this included prominently after the details of the individual buried there are written.

Hebrew Inscriptions

As mentioned at the start of this blog piece, the personal inscriptions found on many Commission headstones are often the most poignant aspect of these markers; they enable visitors to gain an insight into the bereaved’s feelings of loss, and provide them with the opportunity to learn more about an individual. While many Jewish families may have chosen to express their grief in English or another language, if at all, through a personal inscription there are some instances of these epitaphs being written in Hebrew.

One of the most famous examples of this is that of Private Marcus Leslie Marks. His headstone is one of the Special Memorials found at the Commission’s largest cemetery in terms of burials, Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium. His inscription transliterates as follows:

Mordechai ben Moshe (Marcus’s Jewish name, Mordechai, then noting that he is the son of Moshe, or Moses).

Che nafal be-hodam me-koach trufah (who fell in the year 5677 [the Jewish year which corresponds to 1917] from the Medical Corps).

The Tantzevah is then repeated again.

What is particularly interesting about this inscription is that it resembles the type of information you would find inscribed on a Jewish headstone within a Jewish cemetery; it provides details about the family Private Marks was from, plus details about the fact that he died while serving with the Medical Corps. An additional poignancy to this headstone is also found when considering the time of year at which Private Marks was killed; Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, was just over a week prior to his death in 1917. Private Marks’ headstone is just one of many examples of families utilising the personal inscription to undertake the traditional rites and rituals associated with an individual’s faith, and provide an opportunity to learn more about these.

Why are there often stones left on Jewish graves?

Although stones may be found on the top of many Commission headstones, this act of memorialisation is most commonly associated with Jewish graves. The Jewish community eschews grave dressing, which is why it is unlikely that you will find flowers and other symbols associated with grave visiting on a Jewish grave. Instead, the custom is to mark a visit to the grave by placing a small stone on the tombstone as an act of remembrance. This is why you may see stones atop a Jewish headstone in a Commission cemetery.

Featured Image: The Grave of Private Marcus Leslie Marks at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium (taken by the Author, June 2022)