It’s an overrun, seemingly neglected Jewish cemetery in Ozone Park owned by an Upper East Side congregation, Shaare Zedek.
In the midst of finger pointing and outrage the cemetery has quietly been getting some much needed assistance from a most unusual source.
“I’m just trying to give these people some dignity back,” Anthony Pisciotta told CBS 2’s Scott Rapoport on Tuesday.
At the Bayside Cemetery you can often find Pisciotta, a decidedly Catholic, Metropolitan Transportation Authority bridge and tunnel worker, pulling weeds, cleaning debris and righting headstones.
Pisciotta doesn’t get paid to do this. He does it on his own time. No one asked him to do it, but when Rapoport asked why he chose to help out this Jewish cemetery, he just laughed.
“It needed it,” Pisciotta said.
He added does it because it’s the right thing to do.
“I feel like it’s our duty as human beings to look after people who can’t look after themselves,” Pisciotta said.
He said that over the last few decades conditions at the cemetery have fallen into grave disrepair, including toppled headstones and overgrown weeds, and that’s just for starters.
“Extensive vandalism, desecration, all sorts of stuff,” Pisciotta said.
Pisciotta said when he heard about it he felt he had to help. So for the last two years, once every week or two, he’s been laboring to help clean up and restore with religious conviction.
It’s an endless effort.
“A lot’s been done, but a lot needs to be done here,” Pisciotta said.
He’s a guardian angle of this scared ground.
“It’s just my thing. I like to try to make things nicer than they were,” Pisciotta said.
He’s a gentle gentile doing a mitzvah, a good deed.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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7 Responses
Mr Pisciotta, I for one am in awe of you! May G-d grant you and your loved ones a long and prosperous life, with health, and family values to find you in your old age, financing this incredible mitzvah, as you sit around and enjoy your beautiful children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
Nebach what a chillul Hashem that thd Jewish owners of the cemetary are in a fight and dont maintain the place and a non Jew has to step in and clean up the place.
Lots of respect to the non Jew but his help should never have been needed in the first place.
“When Rapoport asked why he chose to help out this Jewish cemetery, he just laughed.
‘It needed it’, Pisciotta said.
He added does it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Interesting. Righteous Gentiles who saved the lives of Jews in the Churban Europa often gave the same, incoherent, answer. It seems that human beings are indeed (as Chaz”al imply) born with an innate moral sense. They don’t need extensive moral education, just not to be messed up.
An exceptional example of a person.
This is also interesting:
conditions at the cemetery have fallen into grave disrepair — sort of descriptive.
Wonderful That we still have people like this, he should have a long and good life.
This may come as a shock, but most people in the world are actually very mentschlik. Probably comes from being created in HaShem’s image (something that secularists deny, but who cares what they think).
Chevre,
I write in my official capacity as the Executive Director of the Community Association for Jewish At-Risk Cemeteries (“CAJAC”).
Many thanks for running and responding to the inspirational story on Anthony Pisciotta. CAJAC, the Jewish community, and the community at-large are fortunate to have a highly-motivated and honorable individual like Anthony helping to preserve the dignity and memories of our dearly departed. Over the last year, I have had the pleasure of working with Anthony and continuously marvel at his selfless contributions.
Unfortunately, the story fails to highlight, in-particular, the Jewish community’s efforts, led by CAJAC, to remediate the obliteration of nearly all of Bayside Cemetery’s 35,000 graves. Thanks to the efforts of 300+ volunteers and an invaluable grant from UJA-Federation of New York, CAJAC has spearheaded a comprehensive recovery effort at Bayside Cemetery since 2009. While Bayside’s current condition is far from pristine, the present physical state is a profound transition from several decades of decline and neglect. The photos I provided to CBS News (who originally covered this story but neglected to treat as “before and after”)support this and hopefully puts the larger matter in proper context. On request, I am happy to provide before and after photographs.
Perhaps most importantly, Bayside is yet one example of the physical and financial decline of Metropolitan New York’s Jewish cemeteries. This is exacerbated by several endemic issues confronting Jewish cemeteries, including sharp declines in grave sale and burial revenues. In addition, cremation, which is contrary to Jewish practice, is a growing trend and results in fewer Jewish burials in Jewish cemeteries. Finally, the overwhelming number of defunct Jewish burial societies, which populate the majority of Metro New York’s Jewish cemeteries, have added yet another (seemingly) insurmountable obstacle.
CAJAC is at the forefront of addressing the decline of Jewish cemeteries. Like Bayside, a growing number of Jewish cemeteries are en route to insolvency and an alarming number of suffering from physical demise. CAJAC is now involved with 11 projects at Jewish cemeteries in varying states of decline. Our mission is to ensure the preservation of Jewish cemeteries. Core to our mission is educating the broad Jewish community on its responsibility to proliferate kavod ha-met.
Please feel free to be in-touch, either by email or phone, via [email protected] or 914-357-4198 to discuss these issues at greater length. I also encourage you to view our website, http://www.cajac.us and Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/cajac (Facebook membership NOT required to view page).
Tizku l’mitzvos……
Andrew Schultz, CAJAC Executive Director