Todd Clayton, a 53-year-old non-Jewish Toronto resident, spends his weekends restoring gravestones at a Jewish cemetery in the city, offering his services free of charge.
Clayton, who works full-time in technology, cleans weathered gravestones to restore their original appearance and bring comfort to the families of those buried there.
According to The Canadian Jewish News, Clayton spent the summer working at Roselawn Jewish Cemetery, removing years of accumulated dirt and moss.
"Quite a few people have asked me why I do this," Clayton said. "My answer is simple: It makes the families of those who have passed away happy, and it makes me feel good. What could be wrong with that?"
His hobby began with cleaning relatives' gravestones in his hometown of Goderich, Ontario. When the trips became too time-consuming, he decided to continue the work closer to home.
After obtaining permission from the cemetery's management and the families, Clayton began restoring gravestones, including those belonging to the parents of Esther Nyberg, a Toronto native now living in Jerusalem.
"When I finished the work, she was simply over the moon," Clayton recalled.
Nyberg was deeply moved. "When I discovered he wasn't Jewish, I thought to myself: 'My goodness, this really is something special.' He's simply a kind soul."
When Clayton refused payment, Nyberg thanked him by donating to a Canadian cat charity in his name.
Another woman, Tammy Feinstein of Chicago, contacted Clayton about an ancestor's deteriorating gravestone in Toronto. He cleaned it twice to remove years of dirt absorbed by the marble.
Their connection continued after the restoration. Following major surgery, Feinstein received a message from Clayton asking about her recovery and telling her he had recited the Mi Sheberach (prayer for recovery) for her.
"I was stunned that he even knew this prayer, since he isn't Jewish," she said.
Clayton is careful to respect Jewish cemetery customs, collecting stones left by visitors before cleaning a gravestone and returning them to their exact positions afterward.
Each restoration takes approximately an hour, using a biological cleaning solution to remove dirt and moss.
Clayton, who sometimes speaks to the deceased while working, explained, "To me, it's not just a stone. It's a physical representation of a person who was alive."
Asked whether he would prefer doing similar work at a Christian cemetery, he replied, "It doesn't make the slightest difference to me."