The question of whether or not to remove moss from gravestones has no easy answers. Moss eats away at the concrete and will destroy it in time. Removing the moss preserves the stone for longer. Leaving the moss to grow, gives the graves their older look and is part of a natural process.
In the summer/fall of 2023, before the Cemetery Committee had made a decision, Amber Woods cleaned the ledger stones on the graves for Rabbi Marcus Berner, Aaron Shnitka, Sarah Shnitka, Leah Black, Minnie Berman and on the family plot of Phoebe, Joseph, and Annie.
By 2024, the Cemetery Committee had come to the decision to leave the moss in place. By that time, the moss had totally repopulated the cleaned ledger-stones restoring the look they had prior to any cleaning.
As concrete is toxic for the environment, by 2025 the Cemetery Committee decided not to allow any more concrete ledger stones. The moss would be left on the graves. When the concrete ledger-stones become unsafe, they will be removed. A pioneering landscaping project was begun in the spring of 2026.
Levy family plot
The Jewish Cemetery of Victoria, British Columbia 