Designing a Monument With Care and Tradition

Guiding you through every step with compassion, clarity, and a deep understanding of Jewish customs and cemetery requirements.

Understanding the Monument Design Process

Designing a monument for a loved one can be both a painful experience as well as a cathartic closure of sorts.
Most individuals are surprised to discover how many decisions must be made during the selection process. Cemeteries have rules and regulations regarding size, composition, and design for each of their sections. There are many types and colours of memorials, along with various shapes that can complement your monument choice.

Gravestone with a smaller stone on top, engraved with the name Isaac Milman and his birth and death dates, and a larger stone with a carved inscription in Russian expressing love and remembrance for a father, grandfather, and family member.
A granite gravestone with gold inscription for David Milan, featuring a Star of David and Hebrew text, surrounded by other memorial plaques and small flower pots.

Custom-Built Monuments to Suit Every Family

All our monuments are custom built to your specific needs and unique design. We offer a large selection of granites in various shades and colours, and we have extensive experience in matching and replicating existing monument designs and colours.

Melbourne Chevrah Kadisha also has numerous laws and regulations regarding monument specifications and inscription wording. We ensure your monument meets all necessary requirements.

Gravestone with Hebrew and English inscription for Oleg Margolin, with a flower holder and small stones on top, in a cemetery with other headstones in the background.
Gravestone with Hebrew and Russian inscriptions, and the name Pavel Mourachkovski, dates 1923 to 2013, in a cemetery with grass and parts of other graves visible.

The Ancient Tradition of the Matzeivah

The ancient tradition of erecting a Matzeivah (monument) dates back to our earliest ancestors:

“And Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrat which is Beit Lechem.
And Jacob erected a tombstone on Rachel’s grave.” (Genesis 35:19–20)

The Hebrew word for a gravestone, Matzeivah, means “to guard” or “to bear witness.” Inscribed stones define the final resting place as a physical space — a place to visit, remember, and honour.

A stone is symbolic: unlike living beings, it does not grow. It represents a soul that can no longer acquire new merits — though the good deeds performed by the living in their memory can elevate their soul.

Black granite headstone for Rafael Levy with white inscription, surrounded by other headstones in a cemetery.
Gravestone for Diane Jacobson with a Star of David, floral engraving, and memorial text, with a small owl figurine on top of the headstone, a caged owl in the foreground, and small stones on the gravestone and around it.

A Matzeivah serves three important purposes:

  1. To mark the grave so that Kohanim can avoid areas of ritual impurity

  2. To provide a place for family and friends to visit and remember

  3. To honour the deceased with a respectful and fitting monument

A tombstone stands as a physical reminder of a life lived — and a legacy that continues through the memories and good deeds done in their merit.

Understanding Cemetery & Halachic Requirements

Cemeteries and the Melbourne Chevra Kadisha have specific regulations regarding monument size, design, inscriptions, and installation.
Our team ensures that every detail — from the wording to the structure — complies fully with:

  • All cemeteries, including Melbourne Chevra Kadisha standards

  • All cemetery rules

  • Australian Standard AS4204-1994 for headstones and cemetery monuments

We handle all permits, applications, and approvals on your behalf, removing the burden from your family during a difficult time.

Grave with a polished granite headstone in the shape of a star of David, situated between two other gravestones with inscriptions in Hebrew and English, in a cemetery.
Black granite cemetery gravestone with gold and white engraved text, adorned with a Star of David at the top, dedicated to family members, including Steven David Lentin and Ioudassia Margolina.