On My Mind: The Vanishing Tomb Inscriptions in Barbados

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December 29, 1995

The most beautiful Jewish tombstones are those found in the old Sefardic cemeteries around the world, wherever the proud Spanish-Portuguese communities settled. Expelled from the Iberian peninsula in 1492 and 1497, the Sefardim wandered to many countries. Some countries, like those of the Ottoman Empire, were hospitable, others, such as the papal states, were not. Ultimately, the Sefardim found strong and growing bastions in Venice, Northern Germany, England, Holland, Brazil, the Caribbean and North America. Even there, their fortunes rose and fell from time to time, but their cemeteries that have survived are witness to the rich Jewish and economic life they led. Some locations of these Sefardic cemeteries are fairly unknown as, for example, those of Gluckstad and Altona, outside Hamburg.

The West Indies are particularly rich in remnants of the Sefardic heritage. I have previously written about the fabulous Jewish community of Surinam, on the South American continent. There, a Jewish independent state -- called Joden Savanneh -- existed for over 200 years. After clearing the jungle, which had overgrown the cemeteries there, some impressive huge tombstones, written in Hebrew and Portuguese, were revealed. The cemetery on the island of Curacao, also in the West Indies, is famous for its magnificent tombstones, although they are now being threatened by total erosion through a nearby oil refinery.

One cemetery, which sadly was already gone, is found on the beautiful island of Barbados. Luckily I visited the cemetery in 1967 when the stones were still legible and recorded quite a few of them.

Barbados, a British colony from the earliest days, extended hospitality to Jews almost as soon as they gained entry to the British Isles under Oliver Cromwell. The historical records show that Jews were permitted to enter Barbados as early as 1655, when the local council declared: "Upon petition of several Jews and Hebrews, inhabiting in and about this island, and having nothing tending to the disturbance of the peace and quiet thereof, during their stay shall enjoy the privileges of Laws and Statutes of the Commonwealth of England and of this Island, relating to foreigners and strangers." The first two Jews permitted by Oliver Cromwell to enter Barbados were two medical doctors, Dr. Abraham de Mercado and his son David Raphael.

Soon the community grew and established not only a synagogue, called Nidche Yisrael, but also a cemetery. Until this day the street where these Jewish institutions are located is called "Synagogue Lane." In fact, the synagogue has recently been rebuilt, and is a tourist attraction.

The Jewish tombstones in Barbados are almost all bilingual -- either Hebrew and Portuguese for the early graves, or Hebrew and English for the later ones. There can be no doubt that the religious leaders of Barbados were highly literate; for the tombs' inscriptions demonstrate excellent knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish literature. This is remarkable because of the great distance from Barbados to Jewish centers of learning at the time.

There is evidence that important Jewish scholars visited this prosperous island. In particular, the visit by the great kabbalist from Hebron, Hakham Isaac Carigal, brought the Jews of Barbados in close contact with the Jewish centers of Eretz Yisrael and the Sefardic communities in North America. Carigal lived in Newport before coming to the West Indies. In Newport he had established a close friendship with Ezra Styles, head of Yale University, who was one of the early Christian Hebraists in this country.

The oldest Barbados grave is dated 1690. Most are from the 18th century, some from the end of the 19th century. Some well-known Sefardic family names appear on the stones: Abarbanel; Aboab; Azevedo; Massiah; Cardosa; Espinosa; Henriques; Lopes; Nunes; Pereira; Rodrigues; and Montefiore. Some family names have only survived in today's black community: Those bearing the names Massiah and Henriques are no longer Jews, but local West Indians.

One case is quite interesting. I noticed a gravestone bearing in the Hebrew portion the name "Shimon Baruch," but in the English section "Simon Barrow." A past prime minister of Barbados was named Barrow. I once asked him if he could have descended from Jews. He heartily confirmed this, telling me that one of his Jewish ancestors converted and became a bishop in Barbados. The prime minister himself gave credit to his Jewish ancestry for his well-known intellectual pursuits and brilliant statesmanship. When he visited Israel, what he had told me privately he publicly reconfirmed at a dinner given him by Golda Meir.

(1767) "The tomb of the exalted member and cantor (Ne'im Zemirot Yisrael) Israel Emanuel Aboab."

(1748) "Tomb of Daniel Massiah, The Pleasant Man, Your Good Deeds, in Charity have now Reached Heaven, you were Anointed for Spreading the learning of Torah, therefore you merited to rest in the light of the righteous, as is the reward for the righteous on this earth."

(1744) "A eulogy for Sara the wife of his youth, Sara Esther, doubly blessed for her double name. In Gan Eden she will repose, leaving behind the weeping family members, for she was humble and pious."

(1755) "Many daughters were of valor, but Esther exceeded them all, she was the treasure of her husband and of her sons, she gave out charity to the poor, never withheld of her possessions, may her merits stand by her when her soul rises to heaven."

(1759) "The grave of the magnificent young man, G-d fearing, charitable, pursuer of peace, precious son and good friend Isaac Hayim, son of the exalted couple de Franco, who died at the age of 26 years."

(1752) "The tomb of the exalted Chacham, pleasant cantor, mohel, skilled scribe, who spread Torah in the congregation Nidche Yisrael, Meir Kohen Belinfante, who died at the age of 48."

Several tombs of women show that they died in childbirth, probably because medical help was not readily available. The most beautiful prayer over a lady is that "her soul may repose in the Cave of Machpelah," which shows that even in this isolated, far-off community, the dreams and prayers were turned to the Machpelah in Hebron, as in all centuries.

The most famous grave is that of the kabbalist Carigal. His inscription reads: "The tomb of the perfect Chacham, the outstanding judge, exalted member, R. Rafael Hayim Yitshak Carigal, head of the Court (Bet Din) and teacher in the Holy Congregation Nidche Yisrael in Barbados, who died the 12 of Iyar 5537 (1777). His deeds were perfect in the ways of G-d, his thoughts were very deep, and he fed us with his great faith."

The links between Barbados and the Holy Land are attested to in these tomb inscriptions. Carigal brought great learning from Hebron, and his presence in Barbados shows how highly the community was treasured throughout the Jewish world of the time. He also cared for other communities. I own a handwritten letter that he sent to Aaron Lopes, the Jewish merchant in Newport, Rhode Island, in which he inquires: "How is the mikveh?" This shows that he felt responsible for the Jews of that time living throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Visitors to the beautiful isle of Barbados will want to find out what is still visible of the old proud community of 300 years ago.

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