TABLET MAG
Saying Kaddish for a Rust Belt Congregation
by Alanna E. Cooper
January 8, 2019

On a Sunday morning in November in New Castle, Pennsylvania, 18 individuals gathered in a Jewish cemetery for an unveiling ceremony. American Jews customarily hold this sort of event a year after a person dies to mark the installation of their gravestone, and to share memories of the deceased. This event was different because it marked the unveiling of a gravestone for a congregation, or—more precisely—for its ritual objects. A few minutes before 11 a.m., the cars began arriving. READ MORE