SIXTEEN small brown stones were laid on the new white marble tombstone of Prof Jacob (Jack) Weingreen MRIA FTCD yesterday after a memorial ceremony for the noted Hebrew scholar.
The tombstone of Prof Weingreen was formally unveiled and dedicated at a ceremony known as the setting of a tombstone. A stone is traditionally placed by visitors to signify that the person will never be forgotten. Prof Weingreen died in April last year aged 87.
The mourners at the Jewish Cemetery in Dolphin's Barn, Dublin, included his widow, Bertha. She was accompanied by her sister, Ms Nella Schlesinger, and her two sons, Mr Ian Schlesinger, with his wife, Cecile, and Mr Colin Schlesinger, with his daughter, Ruth.
They were led by Prof Weingreen's nephew, Mr Perry Kravit, who had travelled from the US. The Rev Alwyn Shulman read the dedication on the marble tombstone.
Jacob Weingreen was born in Manchester in January 1908 and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Jewish Relief Unit at Bergen Belsen between 1946 and 1947. He became Professor of Hebrew at Trinity College Dublin in 1937.
The inscription on the tombstone reads: "A dedicated Zionist. Deeply mourned by his loving and devoted wife, Bertha. He will never be forgotten by his relatives and friends.
The cemetery was silent as the Rev Shulman sang the psalms. The mourners' kaddish (prayer for the dead) was repeated by the gathering.
Prof Weingreen was a senior governor of the Irish Times Trust Ltd from its foundation in 1974 until his retirement in 1994. He was also a director of The Irish Times Ltd during that period.
Judge Hubert Wine, Dr David Abrahamson, from Trinity College Dublin, and Dr David Jackson, from University College Dublin, also attended the dedication, along with close family friends.
Prof Weingreen's sisters, Ms Hannah Kravit and Ms Ada Weingreen, and his nephew, Mr Larry Kravit, were "mourners from afar", said Mr Perry Kravit.