QUATRO IRMAOS:
- Cemiterio Israelita de Quarto Irmaos: The cemetery is actually in a rural area with the large town, Erechim, at 27º38 S 52º17. Quatro Irmaos was one of the Baron Hirsh colonies founded at the beginning of the century, as were other colonies in this area of southern Brazil. Another colony was the now vanished colony of Philipson (near Santa Maria.) Possibly a cemetery is there or not. Baron Hirsh and Baronesa Clara (Chale), which are near Quatro Irmaos, also used this cemetery. The company in charge of the Colonization, Jewish Association Colonization (ICA) had a management office there in Quatro Irmaos. My father was the Superintendent of the company for many years and actually the last person to work for them. He closed the books about 1960. The colonies were a great success from a local point of view.
Quatro Irmaos was quite a big community with hospital and doctors, school, cinema, and running water and electricity in many houses. Built like a Polish-Bessarabian shtetl, the main language was Yiddish. About 1950-55, as there was no high school, many young people left for big cities. Slowly, the community disappeared. Today, nothing is left, not even one Jewish family. There are some big Jewish farms, but the owners live in Erechim, the nearest city, probably no more than 50-60 Jewish families, mostly with mixed marriages. As a matter of fact, we were one of the last families to move Quatro Irmaos because my father had to close all the ICA properties. The synagogue moved to Erechim, as well as all Jewish things like books from the school, etc. Porto Alegre, the district capital, is about 300-400 km from Erechim (about one hour from Quatro Irmaos). Only a few people arrive in the days before Yom Kippur. Mostly, they count on the Erechim Jewish community to take care of the cemetery, which the new generation does not do. It is too far from their memory and too close to their houses for them to understand the importance of the place in the Jewish history in Brazil.
My parents, Samuel and Zivia (nee Nagelstein) Chwartzmann, Rua Mariante 350/701, Porto Alegre, RS Brazil; phone+ 55-51-332 1846 or the Erechim Jewish Community or Jaime Jochelavicius in Erechim might be able to supply information in Portuguese. A few years ago, my father made a map of the cemetery as it is completely abandoned. He listed the names and dates of the people buried there.
The Jewish community of Erechim has the key. The cemetery was established about 1913-14 by the Orthodox community and is no longer used. The cemetery is isolated on a hillside at the crown of a hill, reached by crossing private property. A continuous masonry wall and a gate that locks surround it. The Jewish community in Erechim has the key. The site is 1500 square meters in size, with 150 to 500 marble or granite tombstones, about 25 to 50% of which are broken. Some of the tombstones have portraits. They are inscribed in Hebrew. The site rarely is visited. The local Jewish congregation of Erechim has done some restoration and upkeep. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem.
Portuguese contact: Henrique Chartzmann, Av. Iguacu 485/304 90.470-430 Porto Alegre, RS. Brazil; phone +55-51-3383337. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
English contact: Marlei Bello, 3 Ephraim St. Kiriat Bialik, 27.000, Israel +972-4-8731090/8701523. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Source: Marlei Belo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [31 August 1999]