It is customary to place a tombstone(matzeivah) on a grave, dedicating it in a brief ceremony, known as unveiling, which usually takes place within a year after the death. However, it may take place at any time after the thirty-day period.

There is a variety of practices concerning inscription, though the tendency emphasizes simplicity. The Hebrew and English names of the dead, dats of birth and death, and certain Hebrew letters are generally included. These letters are the initials of the words in the phrase tehei nishmata/nishmatah tzereurah bitzror ha-yahim. “May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life.”

While the formal unveiling of a tombstone is of significance to the family and friends, Jewish tradition has not emphasized it as a basic ceremony. Care should be taken to avoid the extremes of either another funeral or a festive reunion, at the ceremony or at home. Often, a Rabbi or Cantor conducts a brief service at the gravesite. Families can offer their own service and recite appropriate prayers and psalms.
Respect paid to the memory of the dead is not confined to the site where the earthly remains are interred. But as the grave does symbolize a memorial for the dead, it is any appropriate place for family and friends to gather in respect.

The formal unveiling itself is a symbol, signifying that we open our hearts to the memory of the dead, to the meaning of their lives, to their influence upon us, and to appropriate ways of perpetuating their devotion.