STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Graniteville area this week for a massive annual pilgrimage and volunteer‑run food distribution tied to the Kerestir rabbinical tradition, transforming a historic cemetery and nearby streets into a peaceful, prayer‑filled community hub.
The gathering, centered at Baron Hirsch Cemetery, drew an estimated 10,000 attendees, many traveling from across New York and neighboring states.
The event coincides with the yahrzeit period associated with the Kerestir rabbinic family, whose legacy is rooted in charity, hospitality and caring for the needy.
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The event has been held for about eight years, said Pamela J. Itzkowitz, superintendent of Baron Hirsch Cemetery. “This year is bigger than last year. It’s contained, it’s peaceful, it’s respectful and we work with them very well.”
The modern-day Staten Island pilgrimage began after a devout follower reported a vivid dream revealing that the brother of Rabbi Yeshaya Steiner of Kerestir — a revered Hungarian rabbi known for feeding the poor and helping anyone who came to his door — was buried locally at Baron Hirsch Cemetery in 1925.
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Historically, followers traveled to Hungary to pray at Rabbi Steiner’s grave. The discovery of his brother’s burial site on Staten Island offered worshippers a local place to commemorate the family’s legacy.
Visitors arrive with deeply serious intentions, organizers say — praying for healing, fertility, marriage, family stability and during major life challenges.
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Attendees’ light candles, pray inside designated tents, and place handwritten notes of personal prayers at the gravesite.
Despite the size of the crowds, cemetery officials described the atmosphere as unusually calm and joyful.
“A cemetery is normally a place people come on some of the worst days of their lives,” Itzkowitz said. “Seeing it filled with prayer and positivity is something very different.”
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
A large volunteer‑run food distribution operated continuously alongside the event, serving between 2,000 and 3,000 people, according to Moshi, one of the community organizers.
The operation functions as a 24/7 soup kitchen, providing hot meals without any income verification, paperwork or religious requirements.
“We don’t take a count,” Moshi said. “We don’t check if you make money or if you don’t have money. You want, you come in, you take, you go.”
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Volunteers handle every part of the operation, from unloading trucks to serving food and setting up tables. Organizers emphasized that there is no formal hierarchy — a structure intentionally modeled after Rabbi Steiner’s approach to unconditional hospitality.
Security was provided by Shmira, a volunteer watch group that coordinated with the NYPD and supplied generators, lighting towers and golf carts.
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Beyond its religious significance, the gathering brought renewed attention to Baron Hirsch Cemetery itself, which serves as a historical record of early 20th‑century Jewish immigrants who helped build New York City.
Many graves date to the 1910s through the 1930s and have gone decades without visitors.
“This cemetery is so old, these people haven’t been prayed for in years. Now every prayer that’s being said here is for everybody,” said Judith Devine of Baron Hirsch Cemetery. “It’s very uplifting.”
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Among those buried at Baron Hirsch is the family of S.I. Newhouse, founder of the Advance Publications empire.
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Organizers say they hope the annual gathering continues to grow — not as a spectacle, but as a living continuation of a century‑old commitment to compassion.
“This is about feeding people, helping people, and showing respect,” Moshi said. “That’s the tradition.”
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
Celebrations are set to continue on April 29 with a second event for Rabbi Yeshayah Steiner at the cemetery.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Devine said. “The energy is always good. Everyone here contributes to their own community. People who need things, they find each other here. Since it’s been happening, it’s gotten even more organized.”
Baron Hirsch Cemetery
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