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Why small town Jews buried their dead in big cities — and what those journeys reveal today

JL;DR SUMMARY In smaller American towns during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jewish families often had to transport their deceased to larger cities to ensure a proper Jewish burial due to the lack of local Jewish cemeteries. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Interfaith RelationsCommunal MourningRural JewsAmerican Jewish HistoryJewish Memory19th CenturyCincinnatiFuneralsJewish CemeteriesSmall Towns

Places mentioned

Athens, Ohio, United States
"The train that carried John Fridays body from Athens, Ohio, in October 1886, was headed three hours west to Cincinnati for burial at the Walnut Hills Jewish Cemetery."
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
"Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, arguably the most influential American rabbi of his era, presided over Fridays burial in Cincinnati."
Chillicothe, Ohio, United States
"In Chillicothe, Ohio, Moses Bottigheimer died in 1897 after 25 years in business."
Anderson, Indiana, United States
"Almost 20 years later, in Anderson, Indiana, Louis Loeb passed away after living in the town for more than half a century."

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Cairo Item ID 69414
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-12-09 05:31:01 UTC
Curated 2025-12-09 08:31:01 UTC