tuesday photo challenge – stone

Frank asked for stones … there is so many – I have decided to go with the Visitation Stone. I’m not Jewish … I belong to the protestant church, but not at all active, but I interested in other religions and their cultures.

I’m a strong believer … believer in those that make a difference to other people that are in desperate need of help .. those that make a difference today for others.

This is also a tribute to one of the many unsung heroes.

Image provided by and thanks to http://wallenberg.umich.edu/raoul-wallenberg/

The Swedish businessman, Raoul Wallenberg (1912) that made a difference many thousand Hungarian Jews … he even gave up his own life for them and handed himself over the Russians … and still today nobody knows what really happened to him.

Several former prisoners have claimed to have seen Wallenberg after his reported death in 1947. In 2012, Russian lieutenant-general Vasily Khristoforov, head of the registration branch of the Russian Federal Security Service, said that the Wallenberg case was still open. Wallenberg was declared dead in October 2016 by Swedish Tax Agency.

The Origins of Leaving A Visitation Stone:

One of the most common Jewish cemetery customs is to leave a small stone at the grave of a loved one after saying Kaddish or visiting.  Its origins are rooted in ancient times and throughout the centuries the tradition of leaving a visitation stone has become part of the act of remembrance.

The origin of this custom began long ago, when the deceased was not placed in a casket, but rather the body was prepared, washed, and wrapped in a burial shroud, or for a male, in his tallis (prayer shawl). Then the body would be placed in the ground, covered with dirt and then large stones would be placed atop the gravesite, preventing wild animals from digging up the remains.

Over time, individuals would go back to the gravesite and continue to place stones, ensuring the security of the site and as a way to build up the “memory” of the loved one.

As time passed on, and carved monuments became the preferred memorial, the custom of leaving a visitation stone became a symbolic gesture–a way for the visitor to say to the  loved one, “I remember you….. (text: jcam.org)

My images of Visitation stones come for the stunningly beautiful Raoul Wallenberg memorial in Budapest made by Imre Varga, the Hungarian sculptor. “Tree of Life” – A willow tree with individual leaves are engraved with the names of Holocaust victims. Located in the rear courtyard of the Dohány Street Synagogue.

“Never postpone until tomorrow
what you can postpone until the day after.”
Raoul Wallenberg

“I encounter one example after another of how relative truth is.”
Raoul Wallenberg

“I will never be able to go back to Sweden without knowing inside myself
that I’d done all a man could do to save as many Jews as possible”
Raoul Wallenberg

“One person can make a difference.”
Raoul Wallenberg

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Stone