Tombstone of Abraham Pereira d’Azevedo
The first Jewish community was established in Kingston, Jamaica, by refugees from Spain and Portugal after 1492. This tombstone in the cemetery of She‘are Shalom Synagogue marks the grave of Abraham Pereira d’Azevedo (d. 1722), a member of a prominent Jewish family from Portugal. The lower part of the gravestone is decorated with a medallion enclosing a hand with an ax appearing from a segment of clouds from the left about to cut down a tree. The central part bears Portuguese inscriptions, including: A good name is better than fine oil (Ecclesiastes 7:1). The entire gravestone is bordered by English words specifying the deceased’s name, occupation, and date of death.
Credits
Photo by Laura Leibman. Courtesy of the Jewish Atlantic World Database.
Discussion Questions
Based on what you know about this community, why would the tombstone have both Portuguese and English? What does the absence of Hebrew on the tombstone tell you about the community?
What is Jewish about this tombstone? Are there symbols or phrases that express Jewish belief or identity?
Consider the meaning of the symbols and the phrase from Ecclesiastes. What might they say about the life (and death) of the deceased?
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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