soul

of blessed memory

continued from page 67

sisters and many loving nieces and
nephews.
He was the beloved husband of
the late Elsie Tatelbaum; cherished
brother of the late Alice Markel
and the late Margie and late Milton
Bieber.
Interment was at Beth Abraham
Cemetery. Contributions may be
directed to any brain trauma center;
the Hebrew Benevolent Society, 26640
Greenfield Road, Oak Park, MI 48237,
hebrewmemorial.org or (248)
543-1622; or a charity of one’s
choice. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.

RONALD TRUNSKY,
M.D., 86, of West
Bloomfield, died
Nov. 10, 2017.
He was a promi-
nent psychiatrist
in the Detroit
Metropolitan
Trunsky
area. Dr. Trunsky
served as a captain
in the U.S. Army and
ran a hospital in
Perigueux, France. After completing
his military service, he returned to

68

November 23 • 2017

jn

the Detroit area and was a founding
partner of CPSPC-Comprehensive
Psychiatric Services PC in Southfield
and, most recently, in Farmington
Hills. Dr. Trunsky graduated from
the University of Michigan medical
school in 1956. He served as chief of
staff at Sinai Hospital and as a pro-
fessor of psychiatry at Wayne State
University.
Dr. Trunsky is survived by his wife
of 56 years, Judy Jenkins Trunsky;
daughter and son-in-law, Noreen
and Kenneth Buckfire of New
York; sons and daughters-in-law,
Jefferey Trunsky and Judy Goodwin
of Illinois, and Matthew Trunsky
and Jami Small of Birmingham;
grandchildren, Annabel Buckfire,
William Buckfire, Alexander Buckfire,
Elizabeth Trunsky, Matthew Trunsky,
Sarah Trunsky, Andrew Trunsky, Lily
Trunsky and Charlotte Trunsky.
A memorial service will be held
on Friday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. at the
Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield.
Donations may be made to the
Trunsky Medical School Scholarship
Fund at the University of Michigan
Medical School or to the charity of
one’s choice.

Lost Jewish Cemetery
Discovered in Italy

JTA

A

uthorities in Bologna, Italy, last
week announced the discovery
of the site of the city’s medieval
Jewish cemetery, which was destroyed
in 1569. Archaeological excavations in
2012-14 uncovered 408 graves, making
the cemetery the largest medieval Jewish
cemetery known to date in Italy.
The discovery announced by the
Bologna and regional superintendence
for archaeology was presented at a news
conference by Bologna Mayor Virginio
Merola and other officials, including
Bologna’s chief rabbi and Jewish commu-
nity president.
“It is a unique discovery,” Merola said.
“It is an enrichment of the cultural story
of our city and of the presence of the
Jewish community in Bologna.”
In a statement, the superintendence
said the graves discovered included
those of women, men and children, and
some “included personal ornaments
made of gold, silver, bronze, hard stones
and amber.” It said the cemetery was dis-
covered during excavations being carried
out in relation to the construction of a
residential complex.
The area, which is in and around via

Orfeo, was used as a Jewish cemetery
from the 1390s, but it was destroyed in
1569 after Pope Pius V banished Jews
from everywhere in papal territories
except Rome and Ancona. In November
1569, Pius handed over the cemetery
to the nuns of the nearby cloister of St.
Peter the Martyr and gave them permis-
sion “to dig up and send, wherever they
want, the bodies, bones and remains
of the dead: to demolish, or convert to
other forms, the graves built by the Jews,
including those made for living people:
to remove completely, or scrape off the
inscriptions or epitaphs carved in the
marble.”
Four ornate Jewish gravestones now
displayed in Bologna’s Civic Medieval
Museum are believed to have come from
this cemetery.
The superintendence statement said
the 408 graves uncovere d by the excava-
tions were “perfectly aligned in parallel
rows, with ditches dug in an east-west
direction and the heads of the dead on
the west end.” It said no trace of tomb-
stones had been found, but 150 graves
showed clear signs of deliberate desecra-
tion. •

