In the cemetery on Good Friday

Since today is a somber day as we think about the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord, and victory over Death, we thought it would be appropriate to visit a Jewish cemetery near our house. 

What a remarkable place it is -- like so much of Moldova, very full of contrasts.  There were very old burial plots (we saw some from 1930, and we suspect some of the more run-down sites were older), right next to people who died in the last 10 years.  Some of the stones and plots are very well cared for, with fresh flowers and evidence that people had come in the last day or two, and other areas are pretty run-over with wildlife.  And everything was all packed in tightly!

  

 We saw how, over time, trees had grown around the various structures:

 Here are some of the older stones we found... the one on the far right dates back to 1930:

This man was evidently some sort of pilot.  The boys thought his site was pretty cool:

 And this was the most recent plot we saw... someone who had died this past February:

It was a sobering walk today, but also beautiful to see how life and death are intertwined.  How thankful we are to have Hope because Death is swallowed up in Victory.  This is not the final resting place for our souls!