Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, Volume 2 (of 2) / Comprising Their Life and Work as Recorded in Their Diaries, from 1812 to 1883

by Sir Moses Montefiore; Lady Judith Cohen Montefiore

The cortege passed through the grounds, and proceeded to the front of Judith, Lady Montefiore's Theological College, where a halt was made. The doors of the institution having been thrown open, the writer for the moment left his place at the side of the bier, and placing himself in his capacity of Principal and Director of the College in the doorway, offered up a prayer, referring to the service the deceased had rendered in the promotion of the study of sacred literature, and beseeching Him who is the God of spirits of all flesh, that peace, justice, and righteousness, which the departed so fervently fostered during his life, might now, even as guardian angels, walk before him, pleading in his favour before the Throne of Mercy.

The body was then taken to the Synagogue, and placed in front of the Ark; Psalm xvi. was intoned by the chief minister, and the congregation joined in it verse by verse. At the conclusion the bier was taken out and borne along a path, lined right and left with masses of choice wreaths, and numerous floral tributes from friends, to the entrance of the mausoleum.

There the air was perfumed by the fragrance of tuberoses, gardenias, and azaleas, in addition to the scent wafted thither from wreaths of coloured lilies suspended from the railings and gates without. The walls were decked with tablets bearing Hebrew and English prayers and psalms; a lamp was suspended from the cupola above, with a Hebrew inscription, "The soul of man is the light of God." At the sight of the open grave, with the Jerusalem stone therein ready to give rest to the mortal remains of him who had worked all his life for the good of others, the eyes of the bystanders were dimmed with tears.

It was with considerable difficulty that the coffin could be removed from the bier and carried into the mausoleum, hundreds of persons being anxious to be present at the interment, whilst there was scarcely room in the mausoleum for twenty persons. Ultimately the multitude yielded to the entreaties of friends, and the coffin, having been brought near the grave, was placed in straps for the purpose of being lowered, but owing to some misunderstanding of the instructions respecting the excavations on the part of the sexton, it met with obstacles in its descent. For a moment it seemed as if even the grave were unwilling to sever the last link which bound the departed to the world of the living, and it was not until the grave had been considerably enlarged that the coffin reached its last resting place. The officiating minister thereupon pronounced a last farewell, "He enters his place in peace," a sentiment which was feelingly repeated by all the bystanders.

The orphans from the Spanish and Portuguese Hebrew schools in London, headed by one of the ministers of the Synagogue, now intoned one of the psalms, the nearest mourners, emblematically teaching the living the lesson, "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," sprinkled "Terra Santa" on his coffin, and friends and strangers followed their example. Presently nearly all left the mausoleum. I myself, however, could not help thinking of the last wish of my revered friend, "Pray do not leave me," and I remained near his grave till it was completely filled up and a slab had been placed over it. I then lighted two candles and placed them at the head of the grave. It was the eve of Sabbath, and for many years he and his wife had been in the habit of lighting candles on the Sabbath eve while on earth, even while travelling on their philanthropic missions in distant climes.

Synagogue and Mausoleum at Ramsgate.

During the first seven days after his death prayers were offered up at East Cliff Lodge every evening in the room in which he died, and in the Synagogue, Divine service was held every morning, with the addition of a prayer for the repose of the soul of the departed head of the community. On the expiration of the thirty days of mourning, I considered it a solemn duty to hold a special service, and to deliver an address in Judith, Lady Montefiore's Theological College. There was a numerous congregation.

Abstracts of his will were published in the daily papers, some of which gave a complete copy of the whole document. It will only be necessary here to give the introductory portion, which is a reflex of the sentiments he entertained throughout his life, and the paragraph referring to the appointment of the executors of the will, and the institutions which the testator so richly endowed.