After discovery on Pittsburgh’s North Side, Jewish gravestone returned to cemetery
'It is our collective responsibility to protect the sanctity of these spaces and the memories they preserve'
Like many modern mysteries, it began with a post.
Shared on Facebook more than a week ago, a photograph depicted a headstone with the words “Baby Girl Recht July 1964.”
The small rectangular marker, as noted on the social networking site, was discovered curbside near Perrysville Avenue on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
“If anyone knows the family … it’s a real mystery,” read the post.
For days, media groups and communal organizations worked toward solving the puzzle.
CBS News Pittsburgh visited the site of the discovery and a Jewish cemetery, before speaking with Shawn Brokos, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s director of community security.
Brokos told the outlet the Federation had located a surviving family member as well as the stone’s original resting place.
Kelly Schwimer, executive director of the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh, told the Chronicle the unusual circumstances surrounding the stone’s appearance required several days of investigation.
“We don’t know how it got to where it got to. What’s important is that the stone was recovered and will get back to its rightful place,” she said.
Since the photo appeared online, JCBA has worked with local clergy, Federation and other interested parties to ensure the matter was treated with care.
“Ultimately, we want to serve the family with dignity and respect,” Schwimer said.
The headstone was ultimately returned to Shaare Torah Cemetery in Carrick, its original location.
Though a relative of “Baby Girl Recht” was located and contacted, JCBA and Federation declined to share the person’s whereabouts.
It’s a matter of “respect and of keeping our cemeteries safe,” Schwimer said.
Shaare Torah Congregation’s Rabbi Yitzi Genack worked with JCBA and Federation to ensure the headstone was returned to its proper resting place.
“In Jewish tradition and halacha, cemeteries are sacred spaces, and showing reverence for those who have passed is a core expression of the value we place on life and memory,” Genack said. “The headstone is not just a marker — it is a physical embodiment of remembrance, dignity and connection to our past. The theft of a headstone, especially that of a child, is despicable, horrific and a profound desecration. Acts like this strike at the heart of our values and our commitment to honoring every soul. It is our collective responsibility to protect the sanctity of these spaces and the memories they preserve.”
Cemetery desecration is a violation of Pennsylvania law.
The crime, when committed in a faith-based setting, rips at the heart of religious communities, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
In a 2021 report, the federal government commission noted, “Jewish cemeteries are frequent targets for vandalism and desecration. Perpetrators often spray paint cemetery property with anti-Jewish rhetoric or imagery including Nazi slogans, swastikas, slurs or threats against Jewish communities; smash or topple matzevot (headstones); or loot property.”
Governments are obligated to “protect the cultural heritage of religious communities’ cemeteries,” according to USCIRF.
Whether the stone appeared on Pittsburgh’s North Side due to vandalism, neglect or another matter is secondary, Schwimer said.
Respect for the dead and care for the living are a continuous process, she continued. “As an organization we work with local clergy and loved ones to ensure proper ceremonies are performed and that our cemeteries are safe and treated with utmost care. We will do the same with this stone as we would with any other.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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