Final installment of the ‘Houdini’s My Homeboy’ mini-series. Here’s photographs taken from Fall 2009, at the annual Broken Wand ceremony.
The term ‘broken wand’ is used when a magician dies. Since Harry Houdini was a president of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.), the organization continues to gather at Machpelah cemetery every year to mark his passing.
The broken wand ceremony for Houdini is usually held sometime around Halloween. The exact date itself varies because Houdini was Jewish. Therefore S.A.M. follows the Jewish calendar in honor of him.
The exact ceremony itself only takes a few minutes. A small speech is said, then silence as the wand is symbolically snapped in half.
At the time these photos were taken, the original bust of Harry Houdini’s head was missing. Due to the bust being vandalized four times, S.A.M. kept their own copy. Their bust would only be taken out and put on Houdini’s burial site during special occasional such as this. Since then, a new replica has been made, and discovery of another Houdini bust came to light.
Taken Fall 2009. Replica of Houdini bust at burial site for Broken Wand ceremony. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo dated 2009. Replica of Harry Houdini bust at his burial site for the annual Broken Wand ceremony. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Dated Fall 2009. Upclose shot of Houdini bust. A replica since other Houdini bust have been vandalized in the past. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Dated Fall 2009. Members of the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) gather around just seconds before the annual Broken Wand ceremony. Location: Machpelah Cemetery in Glendale/Ridgewood, Queens, NY. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
If you’re curious about burial grounds in the outer borough of Queens NY, here’s another link. Dated June 2013:
Ever since doing book report on him during elementary school, I’ve been slightly fascinated by magician Harry Houdini. Houdini and the rest of his immediate family are buried in Machpelah Cemetery, located in Ridgewood, Queens (although it’s really closer to Glendale).
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Office. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Machpelah Cemetery 8230 Cypress Hills Street Ridgewood Queens NY 11385
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
There is a supposedly a telephone listed with the address, but don’t bother calling it. As you can tell by the photos, the office hasn’t been in use for quite some time.
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Abandoned office of Machpelah Cemetery, the final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Office. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
As I was leaving Machpelah Cemetery, I noticed a sign screwed into one of the nailed up doors. The sign states that the Houdini site is solely cared for The New York chapter of the Society of American Magicians. The sign’s statement ends with a quote “We never pay the bill.”
Sign of misquote. Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
When I got home I did some research to discover the entire exact quote.
“Turns out, someone does come and shape up the grave once in a while. The New York chapter of the Society of American Magicians has a Houdini Gravesite Committee, and a Brooklyn man named George Schindler is the committee chairman. He said that the bust of Houdini that once adorned the grave site was often vandalized and is now kept in storage by the committee, whose members bring landscaping tools to the cemetery and tidy up the grave site several times a year.
“Houdini paid for perpetual care, but there’s nobody at the cemetery to provide it,” he said, adding that the operator of the cemetery, David Jacobson, “sends us a bill for upkeep every year but we never pay it because he never provides any care.”
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. The seal of The New York Chapter of The Society of American Magicians. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo by Michele Witchipoo.
Machpelah Cemetery is right next door to other Queens cemeteries, all which are way better maintained that the one Houdini is buried in. However, despise Machpelah’s negligence, the final resting place for Harry Houdini still hold much more mystery.
Photo taken Nov. 2009. Machpelah Cemetery, final resting place for Harry Houdini. Photo and design by Michele Witchipoo.
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