Kelme, Lithuania Jewish Cemetery Headstone Inscriptions Sonia and David Hoffman 
In the Summer of 2000, on our second visit to Lithuania, we again made our way to Kelme. Accompanied by Regina Kopilevich from Vilnius, we walked through the Jewish cemetery transcribing the Hebrew inscriptions on the headstones, where they were legible, and photographing a few of them. While the overall condition of the cemetery is poor, while we were there, three men were cutting the high grass with scythes. We asked them who had asked them to do this, and they told us that the municipal government paid them for this minimal upkeep. When we offered them additional money as an expression of thanks, and perhaps as an encouragement to do more, they declined taking it. We walked down one (somewhat irregular) row and then back up another. There was no way to definitely specify the order that the headstones are in. We decided to present this information in the following table without sorting it in any other way (such as alphabetically) because this may help you find a particular headstone. Also while we have indicated where more than one name is on a headstone, it is possible that others who are related might be buried near to each other and we did not want this information to be lost. Several larger tombs hang over  a hillside. 
Regina's talent for "feeling" the Hebrew letters on the weathered and often fragmented stones, which had long since become invisible to the eye is incredible, and we are very indebted to her. The earliest gravestone is from 1817 and the most recent one is from 1938. Some stones indicate where the person was from. More photos of headstones and cemetery will be added soon. Sonia and David Hoffman E-Mail: SoniaHoff1@aol.com Surname | Given Name | Father | Year | Comments | | Bejla | Abram | 1918 | Cemetery Inscription | ZAKS | Feyga | Israel | 1936 | | MEYEROVITCH? | Yehuda Leib | Meyer? | | | AGNOL | Hana Gitel | | 1927 | | DOMBE | | | 1927 | | VINER | Eliezer | Mordehai | 1936 | | BERBAIZKI | Rivka | | 1937 | | DRUKER | | | 1934 | | BERBAIZKI | Cormen? | | | | DUKOVITCH | | | | | | Dov Ber | Chaim Itsak | 1929 | Same Stone as Shmuel Izaiah | | Shmuel Izaia | Dov Ber | 1933 | Same Stone as Dov Ber | | Reuven | Rafael Matlis | | | KESEL | | | 1931 | | SHENK | Abram | Aron | 1934 | | BERBAIZKI | | | 1932 | | BERBAIZKI | | | | | | Abram Edel | Shaul Leib | 1932 | | WOLPERT | Ester Reisel | | 1934 | | PRAIL? | Dvora Braina | Chaim SHAPIRO | 1932 | | YAFET/ | Chaya Feyga | | 1931 | | ZON? | Feviel | | 1938 | | WOLPERT | Ester | "HaLevy" | 1934 | | SHACHAN | Chaja Leja | Abram Meyer | | | FISHER | Israel | Josef | | | | Sheyna Beshel | Yakov HaLevy | | From Tytuvenai | VIGDEROVICH | Shmuel Chaim | Itsak Zvi | 1932 | | RUBEN | Zoster/Toster | Shmuel | 1931 | | ZILBERMAN | Hinda | | 1929 | | | Basha | Yahuda "HaCohen" | 1927 | | | Chaya Sara | Yakov | | | RODKIN | Feyga | Zvi | 1922 | | | Aron | Yosel | 1922 | | SANDLER | Hana | | 1924 | | MILNER | Guta Feyga | Zvi | 1924? | | | Toiba Rivka | Aria Leib | 1925 | | SHARAGA | Miriam | Moche | 1926 | | FRIEDLAND | Leib Itsak | Chaim | 1926 | | SHAYEVICH | David | Moshe | 1926 | | | Feiga Chiena | Israel Chaim "HaLevy" | 1923 | | GOLDSHMIT | Osher | Josef | | | | Sheyna Necha | Dov | 1901 or 1921? | | ABRAMOVITCH | Chaim | David | 1921 | | WOLPERT | Zev Ruven | | 1922 | | ZILBERG | Abram Minor | Moshe | 1921 | | YANOVER | Eliahu | Rabbi Peisach Itsak | 1922 | | YANOVER | Peisach Itsak | Eliahu | 1931 | | | Cara | Moshe | | from Tavrig | | Chaja | Eiezer "HaLevy" | 1909 | | | Bluma | Zalman | 1899 | | | Nachmiahu | Akiva | 1885 | | | Abram | Itsik | 1882 | | | Miriam | Yehoshua Hershel | 1891 | | | Itsak | Shmuel | 1888 | | | Leib | Josef | 1893 | | | Shifra Rivka | Yehezkiel | | | | Moshe Aron | Zev | | | | Dov Menachem | Kalman | 1899 | | | Mordehai Aron | Shlomo | 1892 | | | Eliezer | Meir? | 1892 | "Yeshiva Boker" | | Boruch | Abba | | | | Tsipa | Meir | 1897 | From Tytuvenai; white paint on stone | | Itsak | Chaim | 1894 | | | Sara | Iser-Yehuda "HaCohen" | 1897 | | | Hinda | Ze'ev Ezra "HaLevy" | 1895 | | | Shmuel David | Shloma | 1892 | "The Mighty One" | | Chaim Itsak | Abram | 1887 | | | Rachel | Moshe | | | | Batya Leja | Sholom | 1890 | | HELIN? | Yehuda Leib | Yehezkiel Helin? | 1908 | | | Beshe/Pesha | Yehoshua | 1887 | | | Mina | Boruch | 1894 | | BIRMAN | Bentzion Ruven | Moshe | | | | Moshe Shraga | Efraim | | "Rabbi, Teacher" | | Hiena | Nison "HaCohen" | 1893 | | | Batsheva | Yakov | 1891 | | | Itsak | Aron | 1884 | | ROM | Ada Gitel | Boruch | | Large, lying decorated stone | | Ze'ev | Zvi | 1895 | | | Yakov Yeckel | Yehoshua | 1881 | | | Eliezer | Isak | | | | Sheyna Toiba | | 1888 | "A Victory" | | Sheyna | Abram | 1908 | | | Yakov | Yehuda Leib | 1885 | | | Bentzion | Shlomo | 1882 | | | Elia | Eliezer | 187_ | | | Leja Dvora | Itsak | 1871 | | | Sora Rivka | Yehuda Leib | 1872 | | | Yehuda | Yakov | 1871 | | | Zev | Hilman | 1870 | | | Moshe | Abram | 1874 | | | Sheyna | Meir | 1874 | | | Feyga | Wolf? | 1874 | | | Moshe | Abram | 1873 | | | Chaim | Yakov | 1870s? | | | Yosef | Bentzion | 1869 | | | Itsak | Moshe | 1869 | | | Miriam | Todres | 1860s? | | | Vichna | Yakov | 1867 | Sharabisker | | Zvi | Meir | 1868 | | | Shmuel | Ykov Bazalon | 1872 | | | Sender Eli | Leib Tuvia | 1874 | | | Iosel Hillel | Mordehai | 1873 | | BROIDA | Yonatan | Aria | 1869 | | | Miriam | Aria Leib | 1869 | | | Alexander | Avi | 1869 | | | Yehuda Zendel | Chaim Shaul | 1866 | | | Boruch | Gehilel | 1863 | | | Rivka | Yakov | 1866 | | | Itsik | Yohoshua | 1864 | | KAZ | Sara Bejla | Abram | 1866 | | | Nechama | Abram | | | | Itsak Zelik | Issaker | 1840 | | | Shmuel | | | | | Bluma | Yakov | | | | Frieda | Itsak | 1858 | | | Riva | Isak | 1859 | | | Itsak | Boruch | 1859 | | | Sara Rivka | Itsak | 1864 | | | Betzalel | Moshe | 1867 | | | Ester | Shmuel | | | | Moshe Simka | Isak | 1859 | | SEGAL | Itsak | Zelik | 1857 | | | Chana | | 1850 | | | Sara | Chaim | | | | Rina | Michal | 1852 | | | Chaja | | | | | Shmuel | Azriel | | | ZALKIN | Shlomo | Yakkov | 1848 | | | Rahel | Baruch | | Same stone as Yacha | | Yacha | | | Same stone as Rahel | | Boruch | Yehoshua | 1851 | | | Chaya Feyga | Shmuel | 1850 | | | Hilman | Ze'ev | | | | Moshe | Yakov | | | | Dov Ber | Yukutiel | 1848 | | | Feyga Rosa | Yosef? | | | | Batsheva | Mordehai | 1844? | | | Bentzion | Itsak | | | | Itsak | Shimon/Shama | | | | Zev Wulf | Mordehai | 1850 | | | David | Shimon | 1846 | | | Yakov | Ruven | | | | Chana | Itsak | 1842? | | | Rachel | Mordehai | 1842 | | | David | Itsak | 1840 | | | Yehuda Leib | Yakov | 1843 | | | Zipora | Yehuda Leib | 1842 | | | Rachel Sara | Duber? | 1840 | | | Hiena | Yakov | 1841 | | | Bentzion | Yakov "HaCohen" | 1840 | | | Aron | Mordehai | 1829 | | KAZ | David | Yosef | 1837 | | | Yosef | Aron | | | | Israel | Yosef | 1836 | | | Kalman (Clonimas) | Aria Leib | 1835 | | | Rivka | Akiva | 1839 | | | Rochel | Dov | 1834 | | | Chaja | Eliezer | | | | Chaim | | 1837 | | | Yosef | Dov | 1837 | | | Pica | Arieh | 1838 | | | Dov | Chaim | | | | Aron | Ze'ev | | | | Deborah | Bentzion | 1828 | Photo taken | | Zvi | Dov | 1823 | Photo taken | | Michla | Eliezer | 1829 | | | Malka | Abram | | | | Benjamin | Yakov | 1825 | | | Eleizer | Abram | | | | Eleizer | Itsak | | Same stone as Buna | | Buna or Chuna | Yeckiel | 1824 | Same stone as Eleizer | | Yehuda | Zvi Shaptai | | | | Pesa | Meir | | | | Leja | Aba Meyer | 1862 | | | Shlioma Osher | Ze'ev? | | | | Abram | Yakov | 1817 | Photo #23 | | Beyla | Rafel | 1863 | | | Sheyna | Yehoshua | 1837 | | | Yakov | Yosef | 1841 | | | Reisha | Elchonan | | | | Chana | Kalman | 1847 | | | Dov | Abraham | 1848 | | | Abram | Sender | 1848 | | | Alexander | Abraham | 1847 | Photo taken | | Yehuda | Zvi Sholem | 1853 | | | Elchonan | Moshe | 1859 | | | Yakov | Itsak | 1863 | |
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