This book consists of prayers and meditations for the sick and dying, together with the rites of purification and burial and the bylaws of the Chevra Kadisha (Jewish Burial Society) of London. It includes the history of the Society, which was set up in London in 1895. The President of the Society was Herbert Bentwich, and the book is dedicated in memory of his wife, Susannah, who had died in 1915. I have written previously about Herbert Bentwich.
I bought my copy from the sale of books of the late Golders Green book dealer, Moshe Rogoznitzky, and I noticed that the In Memoriam page at the back had been filled in. But who were the family? Father, Bert, Joe, Mama, Aaron, Myer, Debby, Harry, Sam, Becky and Esther? I found a death notice in the Jewish Chronicle for October 16th 1910 (13 Tishri 5671) that seemed to fit, and at the front of the book, in pencil too faint to scan or photograph, ‘Esther Roseman’.
This book belonged to Esther Roseman, whose yahrzeit is 27th Shvat, and who died on February 7th 1967. I found details of the family in Helen Fry’s excellent book “The Jews of Plymouth”.
Members of the Roseman family had come to Plymouth from Sakie in Poland in the 1870s. In 1871, at 3, Canterbury Street, Plymouth, lived 20 year old Israel Roseman with his wife Rachel. In 1889 Israel Roseman was Treasurer of the Synagogue, and in 1890, President. By 1891 he was living at 30 Union Street, a pawnbroker, with one servant and nine children: Ernest, Rebecca, Myer, Samuel, Deborah, Isaac, Bertie, Joseph and Beatrice. All were born in Devonport except Beatrice who was born in East Stonehouse. A number of Roseman weddings took place in Plymouth. In June 1893, Rebecca Roseman married Elias Plaskowsky. In March 1906, Deborah Roseman married Gedaliah Lechovitchkey from Exeter. In December 1911, Joseph Roseman married Katie Stein. In June 1913, Rosa (Beatrice) Roseman married Sonny (Solomon Gordon). In March 1923, Esther Roseman, the youngest of ten children of Israel Roseman, and the owner of this book married Harry (Hyman) Black. Their photograph is on page 79 of “The Jews of Plymouth”. She is buried in the Gifford Place cemetery in Plymouth.
Jewish Miscellanies 