Beth Olam Cemetery

Historic site in Brooklyn, New York

United States historic place

Beth Olam Cemetery

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 2 Cypress Hills St., Brooklyn, New York
Coordinates| 40°41′26″N 73°52′48″W﻿ / ﻿40.69056°N 73.88000°W﻿ / 40.69056; -73.88000
Area| 12.37 acres (5.01 ha)
Built| 1851
NRHP reference No.| 16000254[1]
Added to NRHP| May 16, 2016

The Beth Olam Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, New York, United States. It is located in the city's Cemetery Belt, bisected by the border between Brooklyn and Queens.

It is a rural cemetery in style, and was started in 1851 by three Manhattan Jewish congregations: Congregation Shearith Israel (Spanish Portuguese) on West 70th Street, B'nai Jeshurun on West 89th Street, and Temple Shaaray Tefila on East 79th Street.

In 1882, Calvert Vaux was commissioned to design a small, red brick Metaher house or place of purification and pre-burial eulogies, near the entrance to the Shearith Israel section, and also designed its gates. It is the only religious building that Vaux, the co-designer of Central Park, is known to have designed.[2] Many mausoleum windows are made with Tiffany stained glass and LaFarge bronze doors.[3]

The burial ground contains many examples of architecture and funerary art.[4]

## Vandalism[edit]

In April 2019, thieves stole 14 doors from mausoleums valued at $30,000 and 75 air vents.[5]

## Notable burials[edit]

* Joseph Mayor Asher (1872–1908), English-born American rabbi of B'nai Jeshurun and professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* Nathan Bijur (1862–1930), American lawyer and New York Supreme Court Justice
* Abraham Cohn (1832–1897), American Civil War Union Army soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor
* Abraham Lopes Cardozo (1914–2006), Dutch-born hazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel
* Benjamin Cardozo (1870–1938), American lawyer and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States[6]
* Emanuel Lasker (1868–1941), German chess player, second World Chess Champion.
* Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), American author, poet, and activist, who wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus" describing the Statue of Liberty; niece of Jacques Judah Lyons[6][7]
* Uriah P. Levy (1792–1862), American naval officer, real estate investor, philanthropist, and the first Jewish Commodore of the United States Navy[8]
* Jacques Judah Lyons (1814–1877), Surinamese-born American rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel; uncle of Emma Lazarus[7]
* Henry Pereira Mendes (1852–1937) British-born American rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel[9]
* Benjamin F. Peixotto (1834–1890), American lawyer and diplomat
* Judith Salzedo Peixotto (1823–1881), American teacher and principal
* N. Taylor Phillips (1868–1955), American lawyer and politician[10]
* David de Sola Pool (1885–1970), British-born American rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel
* Moses J. Stroock (1866–1931), American lawyer[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Beth Olam Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
2. ^ "Cemeteries". Congregation Shearith Israel. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
3. ^ "Beth Olam Cemetery". Billion Graves. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
4. ^ Marena Wisniewski; Jennifer Betsworth (January 2016). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Beth Olam Cemetery / The Fourth Spanish and Portuguese Cemetery (with 32 photos from 2015)" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
5. ^ Celona, Larry; McCarthy, Craig (April 21, 2019). "Thieves loot $30K of goods from historic Jewish cemetery". New York Post. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
6. ^ a b Kaufman, May (April 22, 2019). "Thief Steals $30K In Mausoleum Items From Jewish Cemetery: Report". patch.com. Patch. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
7. ^ a b Dwyer, Jim (May 21, 2010). "163 Years Later, a President Visits to Say Thank You". New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
8. ^ "Congregation Shearith Israel – America's First Jewish Congregation –Beth Olam Cemetery". shearithisrael.org. Congregation Shearith Israel. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
9. ^ "700 Pay Tributes at Mendes Rites – Simple Funeral Is Held for Rabbi Emeritus of Shearith Israel Congregation – Service As He Directed – No Praise of Him Is Uttered and Body Is Left in Room Next to 'Auditorium Built for God'". New York Times. October 25, 1937. p. 22. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
10. ^ "N. Taylor Phillips". JewishData.
11. ^ "5,000 at Funeral for M. J. Stroock" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. LXXXI, no. 26943\. New York. 31 October 1931. p. 17.

## External links[edit]

* Beth Olam Cemetery at Find a Grave

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U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Jewish cemeteries in New York City

Manhattan|

| no longer exists, bodies
moved to other cemeteries|

* Anshe Chesed Cemetery (New York City)
* East Bank Cemetery
* Bnai Jeshurun Cemetery
* Congregation Shaare Zedek Cemetery
* Shaarey Tefilah Cemetery

|

still exists, but burials
are no longer permitted|

* First Shearith Israel Graveyard (Chatham Square Cemetery)
* Second Shearith Israel Cemetery
* Third Shearith Israel Cemetery

burials still permitted|

* none

The Bronx|

* none

Brooklyn|

* Beth Olam Cemetery
* Maimonides Cemetery
* Mount Hope Cemetery
* Salem Fields Cemetery
* Washington Cemetery

Queens|

* Acacia Cemetery
* Bayside Cemetery
* Beth El Cemetery (New Union Field)
* Hungarian Union Field Cemetery
* Knollwood Park Cemetery
* Linden Hill Cemetery
* Machpelah Cemetery
* Mokom Sholom Cemetery
* Montefiore Cemetery
* Mount Carmel Cemetery
* Mount Hebron Cemetery
* Mount Judah Cemetery
* Mount Lebanon Cemetery
* Mount Neboh Cemetery
* Mount Zion Cemetery (Elmweir)
* New Mount Carmel Cemetery
* Union Field Cemetery

Staten Island|

* Baron Hirsch Cemetery
* Mount Richmond Cemetery
* Silver Lake Cemetery
* United Hebrew Cemetery

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