An Ancient Discovery
To prepare for building the new mikveh, excavations are currently underway at the synagogue. During construction, a unique artificat was discovered: a tablet with the name “Feiga Gadelman” inscribed in it. This unusual find created a lot of buzz and became the subject of discussion among members of the community.
Similar tablets were previously used to indicate where someone’s seat was in the synagogue. We assume that in the past, each chair in the synagogue had an individual plaque inscribed with the name of the person who occupied the seat.
This practice continues today: in some synagogues, the custom is for people to buy their seats for the whole year in order to participate in prayers and ceremonies. This finding is a bridge between the past and present in our community.
We encourage those who recognize this name to share information with the editors of the newspaper Istoki Zhizni. Perhaps this woman was your relative who lived in Kishine and came to pray at the synagogue many years ago.
