Bais Hachaim Machsike Hadass in Putte

When the Kehile was founded in 1892, a special ‘Chelka’ was purchased in the Antwerp municipal cemetery in Kiel (today the Kielpark in Hoboken).

Not that much space was needed as most members were young and some anyway chose to be buried in Amsterdam.

However, there was a plan to institute a new law as Belgium is a very closely inhabited country (maybe the most closely inhabited in the world), allowing only a certain maximum of years for a cemetery to stay (between 30 and 100 years), and then be ploughed over and used for new burials…

Connections were used and R’ Yakov Eisenman z”l, one of the founding members of the Kehila, even met with the minister of justice at the time, but to no avail.

In the year 1907 the Kehila acquired ground next to the Frechie-cemetery in Putte.

Credit goes to Dr. Wolf, who was then president of the Kehila, and arranged the purchase of the ground.

The first Kever was bought in that year, 1907, by R’ Shloime Zalmen ben R’ Binyomin Turkis z”l who was actually buried in 1911, 112 years ago.

Ten years later the Beis Hachaim in Kiel was closed and after the war the Kevorim of Machsike Hadass were transferred to Putte.

During the war the Nazi’s y”s didn’t allow any burials in Putte, so Niftorim, often victims of the Nazi’s y”s themselves, were buried in the Jewish section of the Schoonselhof in town. After the war these Niftorim were mostly transferred to Putte as well.

More ground was bought to expand the Bais Hachaim.

Lately a list of all the Kevorim has been attached next to the entrance, to enable visitors to find their loved ones.

Between the most important Niftorim in the Bais Hachaim of our Kehila, besides 

• The Ohel of the Admorei Pshevorsk Zts”l,
• Rav Noach Tzvi Ullmann Zts”l, the first Rov of our town, and his Rebbetzin, daughter of  the Baal Machane Chaim;
• Harav Shulem Yitzchok Hacohen Sternberg Zts”l, Dayen of our Kehile and founder of the Eiruv;
• Harav Yitzchok Aizik Hager Zts”l, ruv of Zabeltov, and his Rebbetzin
• Harav Hersh Elimelech miTomashov Zts”l,
• Harav Chaim Dovid, grandson of R’ M. miDombrova Zts”l
• Harav Yakov Weidenfeld, son of the Chazon Nochum, Zts”l
• Harav Abish Reinhold Zts”l
• Harav Shmuel Ehrenfeld Zts”l, grandson of the Chasam Soifer,
• Harav Dov Arye Ritter Zts”l, rov of Rotterdam,
• Harav Yitzchok Meir Hochstein Zts”l, Av Beis Din Brussels,
• Harav Chaim Yakov Rottenberg Zts”l, Rov in Antwerp and Paris,
• A grandson of the Chasam Soifer,
• A grandson of the R’ R’ Meilech Zts”l ,
• Rebbetzin Rochel Twerski of Hornesteipel o”h,
• And many more special people, as well as several Sifrei Toiro that were burned.
• There is also a special Chelke for Kedoishim that were killed Al Kiddush Hashem in the war Hy”d.
• Also buried here is the bochur Yakov Birnbaum that drowned with the Titanic 
• A bochur haKodoish Dovid Kahana that was murdered here in 1980 by a terrorist, Hy”d .