World of Yesterday

From Otto Reiss: "He was a peddler selling in the surrounding villages of Straznice textiles. He was a very religious man and the head of the Jewish community of Straznice. According to my father he started on his round very early every Monday and when business was good and when he earned enough money for the keep of his family, the rest of the weak was spent in prayers, study of Hebrew Literature and work in connection with his office as mayor of the Jewish sectionof the town of Straznice."

Summary of advice on translation of tombstone:

I am having some trouble reading it, because of insufficient contrast (gravestones are always more readable with lighting from the side. But I could make out that the motif is of a Shofar and the text mentions that he was the Shofar-blower for his community and was torn away in his prime (he must have died young). I could also see that the name served as an acrostic for the text but could not at first glance make out his father's name or the date.
-- A. Marmorstein <Mehadrin@aol.com>

On top of the tombstone, above the Shofar figure and in the arched figure
I can see date by Jewish calendar: 29 Elul 5601. This date was Wednesday, Sep 15 1841
-- Adi <old_cat@walla.com>

Hi. The picture's not too clear, and the stone apperas to be somewhat
worn, but here's what I could make out:

In the arch at the top:

"...... 29th day of Elul, 601 according to the smaller part" (in other
words, omitting the thousands, i.e. 5601 = 1841. This comes out to
Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1841, the day before Rosh Hashanah.)
The pictures show a mohel's (circumciser's) knife, and a shofar.
Between these are the first letters of the Hebrew words for, "Here Lies".

The inscription is in rhyme, with the first letters of the lines
spelling out the name Avraham (Abraham). I did not notice a father's
name, however, if you could get a better picure, it is just possible
that the father's name is indeed given in the first letters of the words
(rather than the lines, as Avraham was given) at the end of the inscription.

The main text is hard to read but this is what I could make out:

A ...... man, ...........
His descendants in the ways of righteousness
He ran to circumcise the foreskin of flesh
He blew the shofar with wisdom
He gathered for the poor at the gate
......... he was taken from his descendants
.......... of dust is his resting place
Blessed is the Righteous Judge
May his soul be bound in the bond of the living

It sounds a bit clumsy in English, but the Hebrew is very nice.
-- Daniel Rosenzweig <daniel.rosenzweig@verizon.net>

Can't get it all, and I'm sure others will say the same. But here's my stab at it. First of all it is a shofar and he was the shofar blower (see the fourth line). The curved language on top i believe is the date, which I think is in Elul 5601 or 5611, which would make sense. His name is avraham, from the first letters going down (and the czech words). I'm going to take a leap and say his father's name was Boruch, as the acrostic ends with "ben reb" and the last line starts with the word "baruch" (in "baruch dayan emet", blessed be the true judge). Tell me if anyone else comes up with this idea. I think the rest is pretty standard praise-e.g. a good man, went int eh straight path, etc. He was a good singer I believe (this is unclear)
-- Jay Zitter <jzitter1@bezeqint.net>