Rabbi Shlomo Mordecai Ziskind
Rav, Congregation Chevra Mikra Kodesh, New York CityDate of Death:
Thu. July 28, 1898 -
Av 9 5658
Tisha B'Av
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Directions to Kever: Although in a constant state of cleanup, Bayside Cemetery along Pitkin Avenue in Queens is in extreme disarray and can be dangerous, use caution when visiting!!! in the event of an emergency call 911. Location: Gate: 31, Section: Suwallker Congregation, towards the back of the cemetery.
Name Listed on Cemetery Database: Name listed on marker: Rabbi S.M. Siskind
Biographical Notes:
Credit: MCA
Credit: IFJCAH
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Awesome, back to Bayside! It’s on the right side of the path.
Does not mention his father’s name?
This is one of the older ones on this site very intresting. Rabbi Siskind was the Rabbi of Congregation Chevra Mikra Kodesh and it appears from an intresting NYT Article in 1880 (see link below) that he was instrumental in setting up Kosher Schchita-Slaughtering in NY.
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=950CE1D71E31EE3ABC4A51DFB466838B699FDE
He’s buried in gate 31 – Suwallker Congregation. Safe to say he served in the Suwalker shul?
As I mentioned in the lnik below, I have a feeling that Rabbi Ziskind is the person to who Reb Shimon Sofer of Crakow responded in a Tchuvah written in 1881 on the topic of Gittin in the US.
http://www.yiddishworld.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=307277&sid=c2495b92df982985d90db6bd5f66402b#p307277
I found an astonishing article in “The Sun” dated December 29 1890, Where rabbi Siskind was arrested for allegedly “selling” divorces, those days Rabbis were not allowed to issue divorces, only the court was allowed to do that.
The article goes on and reveals that Rav Siskind who at the time lived in the basement of 58 Eldridge St. and is noted as “An Eldridge St Rabbi” reportedly did this for a living bringing his revenue up to $700.00 annually from issuing divorces.
The allegation was brought to court by the “United Hebrew Charities” (not sure what theier intention was exactly).
Read the full article:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1890-12-29/ed-1/seq-1.pdf
The news was covered in several other newspapers including “The Pittsburgh Dispatcher” which in the same year in March reported about a Get that was issued by Rabbi Siskind, from which we find out that his father’s name was Joseph and (as mentioned in the NYT article above) was the Rabbi of Mikro Kosdesh.
See:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024546/1890-03-11/ed-1/seq-1.pdf
There was a Rabbi in the town of Meriden, CT named Rabbi Abraham Sisikind who became the Rabbi there and served as the Shochet from 1887, perhaps we can try to establish a relationship.
See here some minor details and a nice picture:
http://books.google.com/books?id=-zQWAAAAYAAJ&dq=Rabbi%20Siskind&pg=RA1-PA205#v=onepage&q=Rabbi%20Siskind&f=false
good work, Miller! $700 a year? what a world of a difference.
The “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” reports on the Divorce Scandal:
http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_BEAGLE&Type=text/html&Locale=english-skin-custom&Path=BEG/1890/12/29&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar00464
on top of marker:
מציבת קבורת הרב שלמה מרדכי ז”ל
Then below the symbol:
ש- ? ל – רגליך מ-צבת ה-קבר
מ -ה תגיד לך תתבונך גבר
ר-אה מי הוא הטמון פה בארץ
ד- ת הורה לעמו ויהי גודר פרץ
כ-נסה נפשו לאבות במרומים
י – צאה ותעזוב … שוממים
ז- כור תזכור עוד לקץ הימים
ל – תקוותם עוד תפעם לעולמים
נפטר ט’ אב תרנ”ה
תנצב”ה
Rabbi S.M. Siskind
Died July 29 1895
aged 73 years
–
It appears that the Rav passed away Monday night July 29 1895, which on the Hebrew calendar was already considered תשעה באב תרנ”ה