MJH | JewishGen Talks: Stones that Speak — Reading Beyond the Grave

In the world of Jewish burial, symbolism is the language of the unspoken. While we often look at graves for names and dates, the true “biography” is written in the iconography and the nuances of the text. From the poignant symbols of a life cut short to the surprisingly witty or unconventional epitaphs that reflect a family’s unique dynamics, we will explore the emotional landscape of the cemetery. Join JewishGen’s Chief Genealogist Caitlin Hollander Waas as she provides the tools to decode complex grave art while challenging you to look deeper into the personalities, relationships, and very human stories etched into the stone.

Caitlin Hollander Waas is JewishGen’s chief genealogist, as well as being on staff at the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. She has been a professional genealogist for over a decade, beginning in the world of forensic genealogy specializing in high value estate cases, as well as researching for private clients and consulting for books. In addition, her citizenship reclamation work has been featured in Family Tree Magazine, The Times of Israel, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel, among other publications. She holds a degree in Anthropology, as well as additional certificates in Jewish Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

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