Jevrejski nadgrobni spomenici u Dubrovniku

Abstract

Jevrejsko groblje u Dubrovniku je remlniscencija bogate prošlosti jevrejskog življa u ovom gradu i, istovremeno, poslednji stadijum specifične narodne tradicije ukrašavanja nadgrobnih spomenika.

Teren za sadašnje groblje na Boninovu kupila je dubrovačka jevrejska opština 1808. o čemu su sačuvani zapisi u Historijskom arhivu Dubrovnika. Staro groblje iz početka XVI veka ostalo je blizu severnih gradskih zidina kod Ploča. Tek je 1911. godine, u vreme rabina Jakova Tolentina, izvršena ekshumacija na tom groblju i sve stare nadgrobne ploče su prenete na Boninovo. Kao trag tog starog groblja ostao je naziv ulice koja vodi do njega, Na grebe žudioske. Na brižljivo raspoređerrim parcelama jevrejskog groblja na Boninovu postavIjeno je preko 200 nadgrobnih spomenika. Uz visoki kamenii zid koji opasuje groblje nalaze se spomenici preneti sa starog groblja. Pojedine ploče, uglavnom one slomIjene, ugrađene su u zid, dok su druge samo prislonjene na njega ili položene na zemlju. Mnogi natpisi su znatno oštećeni, pa se samo na nekim pločama može pročitati godina ili ime, uglavnom na onima iz XVIII veka. Svi natpisi su uklesani sefardskim stilom hebrejskog pisma. Do prvog svetskog rata bilo je mnogo više spomenika prenetih sa starog groblja, ali je za vreme rata veći broj raznet radi opravke oštećenih ulica i stepeništa, te je do danas sačuvano samo oko tridesetak.

These are the fragments of a more comprehensive study on old Jewish cemeteries in Yugoslavia which the author prepares basing himself on his own several year's research work.

The Jewish cemetery at Dubrovnik, in the place called Boninovo, was founded in the beginning of the XIXth century, but in 1911 all the tombstones from the old Jewish graveyard from the beginning of the XVIth century were transferred to it. During the World War I many of these tombstones was carried away and used for the repairs of street pavements, the stairs and the loopholes on the citadel of Dubrovnik and, consequently, there have been preserved on the graveyard ground only some thirty of these oldest tombstones.

The author divides all sepulchral monuments, after their form and style, into three groups. The first group consists of horizontal rectangular stone slabs. This is the traditional Sephardic form of sepulchral monument brought over from Spain and Portugal. The inscriptions are in Hebrew and the ornaments are pseudo-heraldic (coat of arms, crown, Iily etc.) under the influence of the Italian heraldic ornamentation. The second group is constituted also of horizontal stone slabs, but the ornament is under the influence of the oriental popular art, first of all of the artistic treatment of metals. The motifs are the Sun, the Moon and the stars as well as the conventionalized plant ornaments.

The third group is formed of sepulchral monuments built of rubble, bound and coated with mortar in form of a semi-cylindrical or ridged sarcophagus. The table with the Hebrew inscription is placed obliquely on the sarcophagus, in that part where the head of the deceased lies or it is vertically built-in on one side of the front of the sarcophagus.

The author mentions another group of sepulchral monuments the least important one which contains the monuments in the form of an obelisk which owe their origin to the Austro-Hungarian influence, without specific Jewish elements. Only the inscriptions in Hebrew indicate the nationality of the buried.

In addition to this stylistic classification of sepulchral monuments, the author gives also the transcriptions and the translation of individual interesting Hebrew inscriptions which have been preserved on them.