Obj. ID: 54256 Memorial to Częstochowa victims of the Holocaust in the Baron de Hirsch Jewish cemetery in Montreal, Canada, 1966
Name of Monument
no official name
What/Who is commemorated?
Jewish Holocaust victims from Częstochowa (Poland) and neighboring towns.
Description
The monument is set from the edge of the first major transverse road in the Baron de Hirsch Cemetery. It consists of four granite stones: two levels of base, the upright memorial stele, and a smaller inscribed horizontal stone on the ground in front of the monument. One longer horizontal base stone is set in the ground. A lightly smaller inscribed rectangular horizontal stone is laid on this as a second base, above ground level. A taller and wide vertical slab sits on its edge atop the second base.
The front of the vertical slab is designed with a central cartouche in which is inscribed the memorial inscription on Hebrew, Yiddish, English and French. On either side of the cartouche are engraved gold-colored torches. Above the cartouche is an engraved Magen David, also colored gold.
On the upper base stone are inscriptions indicating the sponsor of the monument.
On the back of the monument are the names of victims, including the names of Society leaders who were survivors, but who had died before this monument was erected.
On a plaque set in the ground in front of the monument is an inscription indicating that ashes from Treblinka are buried below.
Inscriptions
On the front, in Hebrew:
לזכרון נצח
חמישים אלפים קדושים מצ'נסטוחוב
וסביבותיה שנפלו ביחד העם ששת רבא קרבנות באיירופה על קידוש השם
ועל קידוש העם בימי ממשלת הנאצים הרוצחים
ארץ אל תכסי דמם!
Translation: To the eternal memory of 50,000 Jews from Częstochowa and the area around it, who perished together with six million victims in Europe for the sanctification of the Name and sanctification of the people during the days of the murderous Nazi government // Earth, do not cover their blood [Job 16:18]
On the front, in Yiddish:
אין אייביקן אנדענק
די פופציק טויונט קרבנות פון טשענסטאכאון (פולין) און אומגעגנט
וועלכע זענען אומגעקומען צוזאמען מיט די זעקס מיליאן קדושים
אין אייראפע דורך די נאצישע רוצחים
ערד פארדעק נישט זייער בלוט!
Translation: To the eternal memory of 50,000 Jews from Częstochowa (Poland) and the area around it, who were killed together with six million martyrs in Europe by the Nazi murderers // Earth, do not cover their blood [Job 16:18]
On the front, in English:
IN ETERNAL MEMORY OF
THE FIFTY THOUSAND MARTYRS AND HEROES
OF CZENSTOCHOV (POLAND) AND NEIGHBORING TOWNS
WHO PERISHED TOGETHER
WITH SIX MILLION VICTIMS IN MARTYRDOM
IN THE YEARS OF NAZI RULE.
O EARTH! COVER NOT THOU THEIR BLOOD! [Job 16:18]
On the front, in French:
EN SOUVENIR ETERNEL
DES CINQUANTE MILLE MARTYRS
DE LA VILLE DE CZENSTOCHOWA (POLOGNE) ET SES ENVIRONS
ANEANTIS AVEC LES SIX MILLIONS DE JUIFS D EUROPE
PAR LE BOURREAUX NAZIS.
TERRE NE RECOUVRE PAS LEUR SANG!
1939 — 1945
Translation: To the eternal memory of 50,000 martyrs from Częstochowa (Poland) and its environments, who were killed together with six million martyrs in Europe by the Nazi murderers // Earth, do not cover their blood [Job 16:18] / 1939 — 1945
On the front, in English:
ERECTED BY
THE CZENSTOCHOWER SOCIETY
OF MONTREAL
1966
In Yiddish:
געשטעלט דורך דער
טשענסטאבאווער לאנדסמאנשאפט
אין מאנטרעאל
5727
Translation: Erected by the Landsmannschaft of Częstochowa in Montreal, 5727 [=1966]
On the back side of the memorial, in Yiddish:
קדושים
פין דער שטאט טשענסטאכאוו
[followed by the names written in Latin letters]
Translation: Martyrs from the city of Częstochowa // [followed by the names written in Latin letters]
On the back side of the memorial, below, in English:
Executive members who died in Montreal
[followed by names]
On the additional plaque put in front of the memorial, identical inscription in Yiddish, Hebrew and English:
In Yiddish:
דא אין באערדיקט א ארון אש פון טרעבלינקע
פון די פארברענטע קדושים פון טשענסטאכאוו
און אומגענט.
In Hebrew:
לזכרון נצח
פה נקבר ארון מטרבלינקה המכילה אפר הקדושים
שנשרפו מהעיר צ'נסטוחוב והסביבה.
In English:
Here lies interred a coffin of ashed from Treblinka
containing the remains of the cremated martyrs
of Czenstochov and vicinity.
Commissioned by
The Czenstochower Society (Landsmannschaft) of Montreal
17 image(s) Items per page
At the turn of the 20th century, as more Jewish immigrants arrived in Montreal the city’s small middle-class Jewish Community needed to meet the burial needs of new, mostly poor, arrivals who had little affiliation with the local congregations. Out of this crisis, the Baron de Hirsch Cemetery was established on an undeveloped expanse of swampland, just outside the city. The Baron de Hirsch Cemetery was planned in 1904 and officially opened in July 1905. The oldest gravestone is dated December 1904 (eight months before the cemetery actually opened).
The Cemetery includes 16 memorial monuments to Holocaust victims.
"Memorial Monuments to Częstochowa Jewry,", https://www.czestochowajews.org/history/memorial-monuments-worldwide/ (accessed June 10, 2024)
“History,” Baron de Hirsch - Back River Cemeteries., https://barondehirsch.com/en/who-we-are/history/ (accessed June 13, 2024)
“Holocaust Memorials of Canada en Souvenir Eternel,” Museum of Family History., https://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/hmc-02.htm (accessed June 13, 2024)