Photo credit: Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
Submitted by Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
In a mobile society like ours, it’s easier than ever to move from your hometown to a neighboring state or across the country. But many people still feel the tug of their hometowns, especially if loved ones are buried there. That’s even more true for Jews who follow Kavod HaMet — the tradition of honoring the dead.
Getting back to visit the graves of deceased loved ones can be difficult. Sometimes even an in-town visit to the cemetery is impossible, due to health or mobility limitations. In response, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati (JCGC) is initiating a full service that will allow family members who are unable to visit their loved ones’ graves to honor them and to feel peace of mind that all is well with their graves.
Through the new Visitation Stones service, beginning in February 2026, family members may simply call the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati office and request that a specific person’s grave receive a visit. A cemetery professional will locate and visit the grave within weeks.
“We would like Cincinnati families far and near to hear about this program,” said Jewish Cemeteries Executive Director Sue Susskind. “Our office wants to make it simpler for people to make a loving gesture and get their concerns answered. The schedule will ensure these visits are completed in a timely way.”
The grave visit will begin with placing a stone on the gravestone. With the stone placed, the staff member will take a photo of the marker to return via email to the family member. The same staff member will make a professional assessment of the condition of the marker and the immediate grounds, providing this report to the family along with any recommendations for the maintenance of the gravestone. If nearby grounds issues need to be corrected by JCGC, they will place a routine work order with the cemetery grounds crew.
Orders placed for grave visits in Chestnut Street, Clifton, Loveland, Montgomery and Walnut Hills cemeteries will be fulfilled during the last week of each month.
Orders placed for grave visits in the Hamilton cemetery and the Covedale and Price Hill cemetery complexes will be fulfilled during the first week of each month.
This Visitation Stones service will be provided for a prepaid fee, please contact JCGC for more information. Subsequently the family may opt to have Jewish Cemeteries staff perform additional marker maintenance, such as proper cleaning, for an additional fee.
Susskind continued, “Our mission includes honoring the resting places of our people. We routinely do so by mowing, trimming, cleaning up, and so on. But many years after a loved one is buried, it’s easy to forget that the monument itself is the property of the family of the deceased. It can be dirtied by pollution, algae and lichens. We are happy to fulfill family requests to clean surfaces or otherwise maintain the gravestone. With over 35,000 gravesites in our care, we hope the community understands that we must cover the time invested by JCGC staff to provide cleaning or repair services.”
