Tucked away on the eastern outskirts of Yeghegis, a tiny village in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia, across the river, lies a mysterious Jewish cemetery. Mysterious in that no written records or memories exist of a Jewish population in this region. However, in 1997, gravestones in Hebrew and Aramaic were discovered, proving that at one point a sizeable Jewish community existed here. The earliest tombstone dated to 1266 while the latest in 1346. Where they came from and where they went remains unknown, but visiting is a unique experience in this remote village.

An instruction on the earliest tombstone (1266 A.D.) reads: “May the merciful God pity the soul of the girl, the diva of Michael Ester. Let her peace be United with the holy soul of our mother Sara, with her purity and holy body: As it is said, the charm may be deceptive; beauty may be vain for the woman who fears God. Let him in. Let him be sanctified.”