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.
Without an answer to the question of the moss, and with concern about preserving the concrete, in the summer/fall of 2023, 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.
As the use of concrete isn’t the best choice for the environment, by 2025 the Cemetery Committee decided not to allow any more concrete ledger stones and to leave the moss to do it’s job. When the concrete ledger stones become unsafe, it will be removed. A pioneering landscaping project was begun in the spring of 2026.
Levy family plot
The Jewish Cemetery of Victoria, British Columbia 