Harry Houdini's Grave
At the beginning of July, my friend Jess took me on a Sunday adventure to see Harry Houdini's grave. She had been there once, many years ago, and currently lives close to the cemetery belt, a two-and-a-half-mile stretch of cemeteries between Ridgewood and Glendale in Queens. Houdini is buried in Machpelah, a Jewish cemetery that apparently used to be in much rougher shape than it is today. When we went, however, it looked tidy and well-cared for, and Houdini's grave is relatively easy to find.
It's a large, family plot containing Houdini's mother, father, grandfather and siblings along with the famous magician himself. Following years of vandalism (and frequent unsanctioned séances) the site was restored in 1996 with the help of donations from fellow magicians. It's a lovely space with a wide curving bench, a gorgeous mosaic featuring the crest of the Society of American Magicians and a beautiful stone mourner—all watched over by a recently restored bust of Houdini.
I've read that people have been known to leave playing cards or other magic props, but the only things we found were a dime, a rosary (I wonder if they knew Houdini—née Erik Weisz—was Jewish) and a handwritten note. The dime was odd to me because I seem to find them everywhere I go and I'd love to know what the Houdini connection is, if there is one. There were also a lot of stones on Houdini's ground marker, which is a Jewish tradition—flowers are thought to be a pagan custom and you will rarely see them in predominately Jewish cemeteries.
I'm always intrigued to see the gravesites of historical or famous figures—more times than not I find them to be kind of humble in scale and decoration. Houdini's is one of the more elaborate sites I've seen, but it still could be easily overlooked if you're not specifically on the hunt for it.
Fun fact: Houdini actually died on Halloween and every November the Society of American Magicians performs a broken wand ceremony at his gravesite. It just might be time to return to Machpelah and pay my respects once more to the entire Weisz clan.
