Father's Day at the Dawes Road Cemetery

My Zayde, Avraham Shmuel Tzvi Hersh Silverstein, was known as the Beizechiner Rav or the Vierzbeniker Rav. Rabbi Silverstein died in Toronto in 1951 and was laid to rest at Dawes Road Cemetery, in the only tomb allowed in the entire cemetery. The Dawes Road Jewish Cemetery was established in 1903 and holds over 13,000 graves.

My cousin Frimette recalled: “He was buried in a coffin made out of the shelves on which his Holy books had rested. The streets were cleared on the day of his funeral. During the funeral procession there was no traffic allowed on Spadina from College to Dundas, and a thousand people marched behind the coffin to the Kielcer Shul at Dundas and Huron."

I am named for her.

I remember the old Kielcer Shul and thanks to our recent visit to celebrate David and Sharona's wedding I got to visit my grandfather's tomb and grandmother's grave (she died before him and so was not laid to rest inside his tomb) on (appropriately) Father's Day. This visit was not on my Bucket List but it definitely should have been. 

It was an incredible experience...

:-)