Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: Cemeteries

  • 8 Days of Blogging

    Seth and I went for a walk in Green Lawn Cemetery the other day because it was a sunny, cold day and the snow looked so pretty. We parked in an area of the Cemetery we hadn’t explored yet and we ended up parking right beside the Jewish section. I am a big old witch, and my husband is agnostic, so neither of us knows much about Judaism or the customs there in. I was delighted to see small stones and rocks sitting atop all of the headstones in this section and after a quick google we found out that they are visitation stones. When saying Kaddish or visiting a grave the stone is left to show that the person is remembered. I love this custom so much!! I am so happy to know this now.

    We also just happened upon the grave for Marvin Fishman aka. Flippo the King of Clowns, who had a morning children’s show that ran in Columbus beginning in 1953 and running through 1983. He passed away in 2006 after a career entertaining Columbus and surrounds. Apparently I learned through his obituary that he coined “Nerk” for my hometown of Newark. Small world.

    Jewish cemetery, burial and Mourning Customs. (2003). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://www.jcam.org/Pages/Foundation/Education/articles/stones-left-on-monuments.php#:~:text=The%20Origins%20of%20Leaving%20A%20Visitation%20Stone&text=common%20Jewish%20cemetery%20customs%20is,of%20the%20act%20of%20remembrance.

  • Headstones and Hitchcock

    Headstones and Hitchcock

    .A couple of weeks ago, Seth and I set off to explore Green Lawn Cemetery. Green Lawn is a large historical cemetery in Columbus.There are a number of “famous” Columbus figures buried within the cemetery and the abbey. I am a huge fan of walking in cemeteries, and this one was beautiful to visit. The grounds are full of beautiful trees of all kinds: oak, maidenhair ginkgo, various evergreens, and Ohio buckeye.

    I brought a plastic bag so I could pick up litter as we walked about, and Seth was happy removing branches that were laying atop grave sites and making piles under the trees. We cleaned grass off of markers that had been covered when the mowers moved through. We are talking about making a kit to take with us to make our cleanup easier next time with a small broom.

    We found a headstone of a type which I have never seen before. Where a headstone may say mother, father, sister, brother, etc. this one said Aunt. I loved it so much, and even more interesting was the fact that the Aunt in question had the fist name Salome. I believe that Aunt Salome is my spirit sister. I am absolutely in love with anyone who dies and is best known for being an aunt.

    The abbey at Green Lawn shows films outdoors to raise funds for upkeep during the summer. We went last Friday to see Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock. We got to visit the actual abbey, which is gorgeous with white marble and wrought iron. The film was entertaining. It was a Hitchcock I had never seen before, but it was very entertaining. There was an absolutely insane drunk driving scene that made me very tense, but Cary Grant who was actually in the car with the drunk driver Ingrid Bergman seemed generally unfazed. I love a good spy thriller though, so generally it was a good time. Next month they are showing Laura and in August The House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price. We intend to see those as well. There is something so lovely about watching a thriller with the abbey looming above us.