International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies - Cemetery Project

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FLORIDA

Situation in Flux
    Founded in 1973, the Menorah Gardens chain bought the suburban Palm Beach Gardens cemetery in 1982 and sold it to SCI of Texas in April 1995.
    Dug-up remains, disturbed markers, and broken vaults were shown on local and national television starting December 20, 2001. Lawyers now seek a class-action suit against the five Menorah Gardens cemeteries in South Florida and their owner, Service Corporation International of Houston, a manager and owner of 460 non-Jewish and Jewish cemeteries and 1,358 funeral homes. SCI is the largest cemetery operator in the United States.
    SCI claims no knowledge and plans to investigate. The State Comptroller's Office, which monitors cemeteries, and the Florida State Attorney General are investigating allegations against one cemetery in West Palm Beach and one off Griffin Road in Broward County. The allegations include that they sold burial plots with insufficient space, sold the same plots to more than one family, desecrated graves, and disinterred and improperly disposed of bodies. U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Palm Beach Gardens, called for a criminal investigation and contacted U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Tim Muris, and Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth. Justice Department spokesman Brian Sierra confirmed that the agency is reviewing Foley's request. By Jan. 4, 2002, the cemetery and its parent corporation are to turn over records to Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth. Butterworth asked for burial books, burial cards and other records listing who is buried in the cemetery and in which specific plots. The Board of Funeral and Cemetery Services could fine or shut down SCI if allegations prove true. Local rabbis and synagogues are demanding answers.
    The Griffin Road cemetery allegedly has a cordoned-off area with piles of broken vaults that SCI claims are residue of disinterments for interment elsewhere. The lawsuit seeks a court order to stop the alleged cemetery practices immediately and correct existing irregularities. Some family members report fresh mounds of dirt on plots where loved-ones had been buried for years. Others reported that loved ones could not be buried in a plot for which they had paid because someone else also purchased that plot.
    A four-paragraph open letter from SCI in 24 December 2001 Palm Beach Post and other newspapers says, "We extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to any families who may have been affected by these accusations. The slightest suggestion that our company would be associated in any way with disrespect for the dead is absolutely intolerable. We consider our work to be a sacred trust."
    The IAJGS International Jewish Cemetery Project has no additional information. Please do not email questions. For more information, search at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ or read the following on-line news articles:
    Sun-Sentinel-- http://sunsentinel.com/ (Scroll down to cemetery article)
        http://www.jta.org/ and click on cemetery article.
  UPDATE: A Broward judge on Tuesday certified a class-action lawsuit against Menorah Gardens Funeral Homes and its corporate parent, SCI allowing all persons with burial plots or family members at the SCI cemeteries off Griffin Road near Fort Lauderdale or off Memorial Park Road near West Palm Beach to join a class action. Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com [August 2003]

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Jacksonville Jewish Genealogical Society
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Broward County
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Palm Beach County,Inc.
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tallahassee
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Genealogical Society of Tampa Bay
        Contact information at: http://iajgs.org/members/members.html

Jewish Historical Society of South Florida, Inc.
4200 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33137

Price Library of Judaica
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/cm/plj/PLJ.html
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/vjw/florida.html [October 2003]

Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida
301 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida
http://www.jewishmuseum.com

FLORIDA FUNERAL HOMES:
http://www.preplannet.com/florfh.htm
BETH DAVID MEMORIAL GARDENS & CHAPEL
3201 N. 72nd Ave., Hollywood 33024
(954) 963-2400

LEVITT-WEINSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPELS
7500 N. State Road 7, Coconut Creek 33073
(954) 427-6500
jewishburial@aol.com

LEVITT-WEINSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPELS
3201 N. 72nd Avenue, Hollywood 33024
(954) 963-2400
jewishburial@aol.com

LEVITT-WEINSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPELS
1921 Pembroke Road, Hollywood 33020
(954) 921-7200
jewishburial@aol.com

LEVITT-WEINSTEIN MEMORIAL CHAPELS
8135 W. McNab Road, Tamarac 33321
(954) 721-2500
jewishburial@aol.com

MENORAH GARDENS AND FUNERAL CHAPELS
6800 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise 33313
(954) 742-6000

MENORAH GARDENS AND FUNERAL CHAPELS
2305 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach 33442
(954) 427-4700

RIVERSIDE-GORDON MEMORIAL GARDENS
2230 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 33020
(954) 523-5801

RIVERSIDE-GORDON MEMORIAL GARDENS
6701 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac 33319
(954) 523-5801

SHALOM MEMORIAL CHAPELS
2482 N SR 7 Margate
954 797-7878

STAR OF DAVID FUNERAL CHAPEL
7701 Bailey Road : North Lauderdale 33068
(954) 722-9000


FLORIDA JEWISH HISTORY: http://www.floridajewish.com/florida_jewish_history.asp

SYNAGOGUES IN FLORIDA: http://www.maven.co.il/synagogues/

THE CEMETERIES

BOCA RATON:
In what is believed to be the first such ruling in the country, a federal judge decided that the city of Boca Raton may demolish Stars of David and other grave sites monuments in the municipal cemetery because the decorations are not essential for religious practice. The cemetery rules permit only a horizontal plaque at the foot of each grave; the religious monuments are considered an obstacle for maintenance workers. BOYNTON BEACH:
BRANDON:
BROWARD COUNTY: (Also see Ft. Lauderdale & Hollywood)
See Cemeteries of the US by Deborah M. Burek, ed. Gale Research Int., Detroit MI (1994) ISBN 0-8103-9245-3. Source: Al Rosenfield, Columbus OH; e-mail: arosen@ee.net BUSHNELL:
CASSELBERRY: see Orlando

CHRISTMAS:
CLEARWATER: (Pinellas County)
See Palm Harbor
Approximately seven large cemeteries in Pinellas County and neighboring Pasco County contain specifically Jewish burial grounds. Many of these cemeteries have several distinct Jewish burial sections. These sections are usually owned by a particular congregation, but can also be a general Jewish section. DAYTONA BEACH:
DELRAY BEACH: Dr. Leonard Spialter has the temple memorial lists. Source: Leonard Spialter, spialterr@about.com

DUNEDIN:
FLAGLER COUNTY:
Flagler-Palms Memorial Gardens: p.03395 from Cemeteries of the US by Deborah M. Burek, ed. Gale Research Int., Detroit MI (1994) ISBN 0-8103-9245-3. Source: Al Rosenfield, Columbus OH; (e-mail: arosen@ee.net

FOREST CITY: see Orlando

FORT LAUDERDALE:
     Funeral Home: Menorah is the Jewish funeral home that started in the 1960's or 70's. 954-742-6000, source: Aaron Roetenberg ( aaron@yrkpa.kias.com )
     "The first Jewish cemetery in Fort Lauderdale opened in the 1930s. Before that, local residents also shipped their dead north for burial, usually to Jacksonville." Source: Paulin, Gladys Friedman. "Jewish Genealogical Research in Florida". Avotaynu , Vol. XVI, No. 3, Fall 2000, p. 9. FORT MYERS:
FORT PIERCE:
FORT WALTON BEACH:
GAINESVILLE:
HOLLYWOOD: (Broward County)
HUDSON:
source: Dr. Leonard Spialter (temple memorial list) spialterr@about.com JACKSONVILLE: (Duval County)
     Chabad-Lubavitch may also have a cemetery. Information: 904 262 6641.
     "In Jacksonville, when the first Jew died, his body was shipped North to Charleston for burial." Source: Paulin, Gladys Friedman. "Jewish Genealogical Research in Florida". Avotaynu , Vol. XVI, No. 3, Fall 2000, p. 9. JACKSONVILLE BEACH:
Beth El Beaches Synagogue may have a cemetery. Synagogue: 288 N. Roscoe Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach 32082 , 904 273 9100.

KENDALL:
KEY WEST: (Monroe County)
KISSIMEE: see Orlando Area

LAKELAND: (Polk County)
LARGO:
LAUDERDALE: [is this Lauderhill?]
LONGBOAT KEY:
source: Dr. Leonard Spialter (Yahrzeit list) spialterr@about.com MIAMI-DADE COUNTY:
(also see North Miami and below)
Jewish Cemeteries in Dade County, except as noted: information about Dade County was submitted by Eleanor Laub of JGS of Greater Miami, 6310 SW 33 St. Miami, FL 33155.
Bettinger-Lopez, Caroline. Cuban-Jewish Journeys: Searching for Identity, Home, and History in Miami . ISBN: 1-57233-098-8. Univ of Tennessee Press, 2000. Index: http://jewishcuba.org/famties/index.html Source: Daniel Kazez dkazez@mail.wittenberg.edu [January 2001]
NORTH MIAMI BEACH: (also see Dade County)
MONROE COUNTY:
NAPLES:
NEW PORT RICHEY:
OCALA: (north of town)
ORLANDO:
ORLANDO AIR BASE: see ORLANDO area, Florida funeral homes notes

ORLANDO area: (Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard Counties)
    Baldwin-Fairchild: (Nancy Garlanger, Director of Administration, 301 N.E. Ivanhoe Blvd., Orlando, FL 32804.) They own Oaklawn Cemetery and Pleasant Hill Cemetery. All information about these cemeteries is privileged. They have all graves marked and maps, but for anyone to get that information, a formalized agreement needs to be reached. During the 1970s and 1980s, Nancy estimates they were involved in 70 to 80 percent of all Jewish burials. Nancy emphasized that Orthodox burials were under Ohev Shalom or Temple Israel.
    UNIVERSITY of CENTRAL FLORIDA LIBRARY: Special Collections Division, 5th floor; Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. See Dr. Lee Records from Carey-Hand Funeral Home, which was the only funeral home in central Florida until the late 1930s. They are accessible and include date of death, place buried, funeral accouterments, and parents' names. Religion was not stated, but the name of the person who presided at the funeral is included. Out-of-town disposition of the body is noted. Included in the records are these counties: Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, and Brevard. (Courthouse in Orlando was destroyed in the 1900s so these are the only records.) RECORDS:
  FUNERAL HOMES: (Information supplied by Mr. Franklin of Carey-Hand Colonial)
    About 1885, a Richards and Hand Embalmers became Hand's when Richards left. The records from Carey-Hand begin in 1890 and are at the University of Central Florida library. Elijah Hand died in 1915. About 1890, there was an Armstrong which did not stay too long. They were in the area until the 1920s. The original Hand business was furniture and embalmers. The building was built across the street from the furniture store. Some time later, their building was put up on Pine St where it remained until it was sold to the City of Orlando for a parking garage. At that time, it became Carey-Hand Colonial and Cox- Parker in two locations. Carey Hand took over Garden Chapel that had been owned by Olden G. Fairchild. Sometime in the late 1930s an Eiselstein-Wigginton existed first in St. Cloud and then came to Orlando. They were taken over by W. Guy Black about 1958 and became known as W. Guy Black Funeral Home. They lasted until about 1986. Carey Hand took over the pre-arrangements that W. Guy Black had at the time Black closed. The whereabouts of the records are unclear. (Suggestion: speak again to someone in charge at Carey-Hand, see Les Dyer.) Robert Fisk at the Fisk Funeral Home in St. Cloud is a nephew of Eiselstein. He had a written history of some of this information. Fairchild began in the 1940s, but later Olden Fairchild was killed. It is now known as Baldwin-Fairchild.
Funeral records June 15, 1891 - Dec. 30, 1952:
Cremation records: June 1925-Dec. 1949 are typed in alphabetical order (two lists) with name and address. One bound volume for veterans and Orlando Air Base records:

ORMOND BEACH:
Ormond Funeral Home, 733 W. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach, 32174. (904) 673-1100 Fax: (904) 673-1140 OPALEIKA:
Source: Dr. Leonard Spialter has Yahrzeit list, spialterr@about.com

PALM BEACH COUNTY:
PALM HARBOR: (Pinellas County)
PENSACOLA: Escambia County
Temple Beth-El, 800 North Palafox Street, Pensacola FL 32501 PLANTATION:
Dr. Leonard Spialter has the Yahrzeit list. spialterr@about.com

POMPANO:
POMPANO BEACH:
PORT RICHEY: see Orlando.
Also uses cemetery at Hudson, Florida

QUINCY: see Tallahassee and Bainbridge, Georgia.

SARASOTA: see also LONGBOAT
SEBRING:
SEMINOLE:
Dr. Leonard Spialter spialterr@about.com has the Yahrzeit list

ST. AUGUSTINE:
ST. PETERSBURG:
SUNRISE:
TALLAHASSEE:
Also see Bainbridge, Georgia, and Thomasville, Georgia for other cemeteries in that area.
Temple Israel-UAHC, Tallahassee) has been managing our 3 cemeteries, along with the associated grief, bereavement, and planning assistance activities. This is all volunteer effort. Barry Pitegoff: nkp1bep2@earthlink.net [November 2000]
TALLAHASSEE AREA:
TAMPA: (Hillsboro County):
VENICE:
WEST PALM BEACH:
WINTER PARK: see Orlando

WINTER HAVEN:
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