Temple Beth Israel Cemetery

Last updated
Hebrew Cemetery
Hebrew Cemetery Jackson MI.JPG
Location420 N. West Ave., Jackson, Michigan
Coordinates 42°15′9″N84°25′24″W / 42.25250°N 84.42333°W / 42.25250; -84.42333 (Hebrew Cemetery) Coordinates: 42°15′9″N84°25′24″W / 42.25250°N 84.42333°W / 42.25250; -84.42333 (Hebrew Cemetery)
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1859 (1859)
NRHP reference # 09000474 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 24, 2009

The Temple Beth Israel Cemetery, also known as the Hebrew Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery located at 420 North West Avenue in Jackson, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. [1]

Jews ancient nation and ethnoreligious group from the Levant

Jews or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and a nation, originating from the Israelites and Hebrews of historical Israel and Judah. Jewish ethnicity, nationhood, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish people, while its observance varies from strict observance to complete nonobservance.

Cemetery Place of burial

A cemetery or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burial ground and originally applied to the Roman catacombs. The term graveyard is often used interchangeably with cemetery, but a graveyard primarily refers to a burial ground within a churchyard.

Jackson, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Jackson is a city in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Ann Arbor and 35 miles (56 km) south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Served by Interstate 94, it is the principal city of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Jackson County and has a population of 160,248.

Contents

History

Early Detroit had a prominent Jewish community, out of which the first Jewish congregation in Michigan, the Temple Beth El, was founded in 1850. Jewish communities gradually moved west, into Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Jackson. The very first Jews in Jackson were Jacob Hirsch and Jacob Levy, who arrived in 1842. Others followed, building up a small community. In 1859, the first burial in what is now the Temple Beth Israel Cemetery took place, of Rosa Hirsch, wife of Jacob Hirsch. It was not until 1860 that the deed was recorded, recognizing ownership of the land, and not until 1861 that the Hebrew Association was formed, for the purpose of maintaining and improving the land. [2]

Detroit Largest city in Michigan

Detroit is the largest and most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest United States city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2017 estimated population of 673,104, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area. Regarded as a major cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music and as a repository for art, architecture and design.

Temple Beth El (Detroit)

Temple Beth El, also known as Temple Beth-El, is a Reform synagogue currently located in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. Beth El was founded in 1850 in the city of Detroit, and is the oldest Jewish congregation in Michigan.

Ypsilanti, Michigan City in Michigan, United States

Ypsilanti, commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan, perhaps best known as the home of Eastern Michigan University. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 21,018. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Township. Ypsilanti is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Ann Arbor and about 18 miles (29 km) west of the Detroit city limits.

Jackson's Beth Israel congregation was officially formed in 1862, the second Reform congregation in Michigan. In 1937 ownership and control of the cemetery was transferred to the Temple. In the 21st century, the cemetery remains in uses, the oldest such Jewish cemetery in Michigan. [2]

Reform Judaism denomination of Judaism

Reform Judaism is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones, and a belief in a continuous revelation, closely intertwined with human reason and intellect, and not centered on the theophany at Mount Sinai. A liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by a lesser stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding Jewish Law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and openness to external influences and progressive values. The origins of Reform Judaism lay in 19th-century Germany, where its early principles were formulated by Rabbi Abraham Geiger and his associates; since the 1970s, the movement adopted a policy of inclusiveness and acceptance, inviting as many as possible to partake in its communities, rather than strict theoretical clarity. It is strongly identified with progressive political and social agendas, mainly under the traditional Jewish rubric Tikkun Olam, or "Repairing of the World". Tikkun Olam is a central motto of Reform Judaism, and action for its sake is one of the main channels for adherents to express their affiliation. The movement's greatest center today is in North America.

Description

The Temple Beth Israel Cemetery is an approximately one-acre plot, now located in an area of mixed commercial and early twentieth-century residential development. A black-painted iron milled post fence runs along the street edge of the cemetery, with chain-link and wooden privacy fences surrounding the other sides. At one corner is a vehicle entrance, marked by a black-painted iron milled post swinging gate between two rock-faced stone pillars. A pedestrian entrance is located on one side of the property. The interior is flat and grass-covered, with a single central formal walkway. [2]

As of 2009, the cemetery contained 274 burials, arranged in rows and divided into family plots. Most of the graves are marked with headstones, nearly all of marble or granite. Markers are typically modest, with little ornamentation. The oldest burials are located in the northwest corner of the cemetery along West Avenue, with the graves becoming newer farther away. [2]

A caretaker's residence is located within at the boundary of the cemetery, fronting the street. It is a two-story vernacular stucco-covered building with a gambrel roof, with an addition at the rear. The original section sits on a rock-faced concrete block foundation. Horizontal and diagonal boards on the exterior mimic half-timbering. The front of the house has a half-hip-roofed porch spanning the first floor, covering one double-hung window and one door; a single double-hung window is on the second floor. Other elevations contain a variety of window forms, including double-hung and fixed lights. The cemetery also contains two small, modern, utility sheds near the house. [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2013-11-02). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Nancy Ford Demeter (March 3, 2009), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Hebrew Cemetery