Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
PO Box 16528, Jackson, MS 39236-0528
(601) 362-6357
Email: information@msje.org Web:http://www.msje.org/
Initially designed to represent Jews and Jewish culture in
Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee, the
museum plans to reflect the entire South.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: [2005]
Rogoff, Leonard. Homelands : Southern Jewish Identity in
Durham-Chapel Hill and North Carolina (Judaic Studies
Series) University Alabama Press. 2001. ISBN:
081731055X
Rogoff, Leonard. Down Home: Jewish Life in North
Carolina
ASHVILLE: Buncombe County
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncbuncom/index.htm has
general Buncombe County information. [September 2005]
Repository for records: http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/mss/beth_ha/Default.html:
Beth-Ha-Tephila Congregation 1891-1976 (M79.13.1-5 ; P79.13.1 ;
OS79.13.1): In 1919 the Congregation [Beth Ha Tephila Section]
debated the Conservative-Reform question again, but they voted to
remain Reform, and the conservatives eventually split off to form
their own Orthodox congregation called the Bikur Holim in 1898.
An Orthodox congregation synagogue was built and just before High
Holy Day Services in 1916, the building was set ablaze in one of
Asheville's first anti-Semitic crimes. historical information
about Congregation Beth-ha-Tephila include the Golden Book of
Memoirs (M79.13.5, folder 5) and the 75th Anniversary
Program (M79.13.5, folder 6) and Letters from Leo: World
War II Correspondence to the Asheville Lions Club, Boone, NC:
Center Appalachian Studies, 1997" [September 2005]
Riverside
Cemetery (Beth Ha Tephila Section): founded in 1890s. UPDATE:
"Congregation Beth-ha-Tephila, the first synagogue in Asheville,
founded in 1891, was Conservative congregation at its founding,
now Reform. They met at the Lyceum Hall on Biltmore Avenue.
Jewish cemetery property was purchased in 1902 at
Riverside. 1902, a building was purchased at Spruce and Woodfin
Streets for synagogue. 53 Birch Street, Asheville, NC, 28801,
828-350-2066 [September 2005]
Elmwood Cemetery: Has the grave of a Jewish
Confederate soldier and one Jewish family plot in it. Source:
Anita Howard UPDATE:
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/City+Engineering/Use+Our+Services/Cemeteries/home.htm Site
(operated by City of Charlotte). 700 West 6th Street,
704-336-2123. The total acreage in Elmwood is about 72 acres. No
grave spaces are available for sale, although burials still occur
here. The first recorded burial in Elmwood was in 1853.
[September 2005]
Forest Lawn East Cemetery: 3709 Forest
Lawn Drive, Matthews, NC 28105, 704-846-1068. This much newer
cemetery is located in the area of Charlotte where Jews live and
some dedicated ground for Jewish burials. A ceremony conducted by
Rabbi Robert Seigel of Temple Beth El was held to consecrate the
land about ten years ago. This was the first time anyone,
including the rabbi, had witnessed this kind of dedication.
Source: Richard A. Klein, Chairman, Charlotte Jewish Historical
Society (CJHS) UPDATE: http://www.forestlawneast.com/
has information. http://www.forestlawneast.com/maps_grounds.html has
map.[September 2005]
Forest Lawn West Cemetery: 5601
Freedom Drive. This private cemetery has some dedicated ground
for Jewish burials. However, few burials have been held there in
recent years. UPDATE: 4601 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC, 28208,
704-392-2104 [September 2005]
Hebrew Cemetery: McCall St. at Statesville
Ave. This site is the oldest and only one that is predominantly
Jewish. Non-Jewish spouses have only recently been given a place
in Hebrew Cemetery. Contact: Irving Mond, 704-366-6632. A video
is available: " A Walking Tour of the Hebrew Cemetery" produced
by the Charlotte Jewish Historical Society. Contact: Lenora
Stein, Carolina Agency for Jewish Education 704-366-5007. UPDATE:
p. 15952 in Cemeteries of the US, Deborah M. Burek, ed.
Detroit: Gale Research Int., 1994. ISBN 0-8103-9245-3. Source: Al
Rosenfield, arosen@ee.net.
Walking Tour of the Charlotte Hebrew Cemeteryhttp://users.vnet.net/lsstein/cjhs/cjhscollection.html.
1800 McCall
Charlotte, NC 28206, 704-375-1595. http://www.cmstory.org/cemetery/details.asp?id=71 has
photo. http://www.cmstory.org/cemetery/burialrecords.asp?id=71 has
burial list. (881) [September 2005]
a Presbyterian cemetery: "All over the Carolinas lie the
remains of Jews who lived and died long ago in communities with
no consecrated burial place for them. They are safe and
remembered in church cemeteries, like this grave in a Charlotte
Presbyterian cemetery of a woman born during the Revolutionary
War. The inscription begins, 'In memory of Mrs. Z. Penick who
died April 12, 1854, 73rd year of her age, a mother in
Israel...'." Also photo. http://www.jewishtourofthecarolinas.org/charlotte.html [September
2005]
Judea Reform Congregation Cemetery:
#15878 in Cemeteries of the US by Deborah M. Burek, ed.
Detroit: Gale Research Int., 1994. ISBN 0-8103-9245-3. Source: Al
Rosenfield, arosen@ee.net.
Judea Reform Congregation http://www.judeareform.org/:
The Judea Reform Congregation Cemetery, located on Jones Ferry
Road in Chapel Hill [September 2005]
DURHAM: Durham County
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncdurham/ has
general Durham County information. [September 2005]
http://www.betheldurham.org/synagogue/history.html:
Beth El Synagogue. "The Durham Jewish community traces its
origins to the 1870s when German and Eastern European immigrants
arrived to peddle and open stores in the growing tobacco town. In
the early 1880s their numbers were augmented by the arrival of
Russian-Jewish cigarette rollers. The Durham Hebrew Congregation
organized in 1887 and rented a hall on Main Street. In 1892, the
congregants formally chartered the congregation and hired a
rabbi. In 1905, they purchased a small, wood-framed church on
Liberty Street which became Durham's first synagogue." [September
2005]
Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd., Durham, NC
27705 http://www.jhfnc.org/rg_intro.html
see Chapel Hill[September 2005]
Durham Hebrew Cemetery: 1919
Jewish population was 500. Source: "Directory of Jewish Local
Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583. American
Jewish Year Book 5680 September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920;
volume 21. Edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish
Committee and submitted by Alan Hirschfeld. UPDATE: http://www.betheldurham.org/synagogue/cemetary.html:
"The Durham Hebrew Cemetery may be the oldest Jewish institution
of record in this area and dates back to the 1800's. For many
years, it was the only Jewish cemetery for a significant
geographical area. The cemetery is owned by Beth El and continues
to serve our synagogue needs. Recently, an adjoining piece of
property was purchased so that the expanded Durham Hebrew
Cemetery will be able to continue to meet the needs of the Beth
El community well into the future." http://apdew.com/cemetery/durh/cem258.htm has
photo of cemetery and photos of gravestones with burial list.
"This cemetery was established in 1882. Access is best gained by
going through the Maplewood cemetery entrance on Kent Street just
off Morehead Avenue. The Hebrew Cemetery has an older section and
a newer section. Most of the tombstones in both sections contain
Hebrew script. There are over 360 graves in the cemetery."
http://www.betheldurham.org/rituallife/chevrakadisha.html has
Chevra Kadisha information. [September 2005]
Temple Emanuel Cemetery: South New Hope Road. http://nc006.urj.net/: Organized as
the Hebrew Congregation of Gastonia in 1913, Temple Emanuel is
Reform. UPDATE: http://nc006.urj.net/ is the Temple
Emanuel congregational site with photos. "... members from five
counties in two states... Organized as the Hebrew Congregation of
Gastonia in 1913."[September 2005]
Willow Dale Cemetery: {10556} Jewish section. The
Jewish section is in extreme northeastern part. Names can be
found in Gravestone Inscriptions, An Inventory of Cemeteries
in Wayne County, North Carolina, published by Wayne County
Historical Assoc. Inc., Goldsboro, NC has data on p. 404 and 405.
Source: Al Lipsey, 520-299-4486. UPDATE: http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/01wayne/wayne.html has
Goldsboro Jewish Synagogue SERIES P1 documents. http://www.jewishtourofthecarolinas.org/coastal.html
has historical reference and photo. http://www.jwa.org/exhibits/wov/weil/childhood.html has
history of Jews. Congregation Oheb Sholom: "In February 1883, 33
Jewish men ... "united for the purpose of building a synagogue"
in Goldsboro. The Jewish community already owned a Torah and was
home to a Cemetery Association and a Ladies' Hebrew Assistance
Society, indicating that Jewish life existed in Goldsboro prior
to the formal creation of a congregation." Also see Moses
Rountree, Strangers in the Land: The Story of Jacob Weil's
Tribe (Philadelphia: Dorrance & Company, 1969),
55-63. http://www.jwa.org/exhibits/wov/weil/gwart.html has
link to synagogue photo. http://www.wcpl.org/obitdatabase.pdf has
obituary database. Reference: Weissbach, Lee Shai 1947- "East
European Immigrants and the Image of Jews in the Small-Town
South". Congregation: PO Box 2063, Goldsboro, NC
27533-2063 (919) 734-1111, Fax: (919) 734-0877. 21 members
[September 2005]
Greensboro Hebrew Cemetery: is located at the corner of
High Point Road and Vanstory Street. Originated in 1920's.
UPDATE:
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050813/NEWSREC0101/508130309/1001/NEWSREC0201 has
news story: "Ceremony at Hebrew Cemetery honors those who fought
in WWII". Temple Emanuel owns and manages the Greensboro Hebrew
Cemetery. This final resting place is used by members of the
Jewish faith, their spouses and immediate family. This committee
oversees the cemetery, its upkeep and budget, and sets policies
concerning the cemetery and the prices of graves. Cemetery@tegreensboro.org [September
2005]
High Point Hebrew Cemetery: Congregation Bnai Israel
Synagogue's Cemetery, Rabbi Jerome Fox. The High Point Jewish
community has a cemetery just north of town on Kensington Lane.
336-884-5522. Source: Sllrw@aol.com.
12 headstones were separated from their base; and one headstone
was completely overturned early in 2000. Local law enforcement
believed this to be a teenage prank as no graffiti indicated a
bias motive. Kathy Ingram kingram@unicanlock.com
UPDATE: Bnai Israel Synagogue, 1207 Kensington Drive, High Point
NC 27262 http://www.bnai-israel-hp.org/ [September
2005]
Hebrew Cemetery:
Cedar Grove Cemetery, 1707 National Avenue. Source: Julian H. Preisler, jhp1963@yahoo.com. 1919 Jewish
population was 99. Source: "Directory of Jewish Local
Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583. American
Jewish Year Book 5680 September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920;
volume 21. Edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish
Committee and submitted by Alan Hirschfeld. UPDATE: Following the
Civil War, New Bern's Jewish Community established the Hebrew
Cemetery. Adjacent to the National Cemetery, this tree-shaded
site, contains many late nineteenth-century tombstones inscribed
in both Hebrew and English. Source:
http://www.visitnewbern.com/heritagetours/heritage_tour_church_cemeteries.htm.
Neo-Classical Revival Temple Chester B'nai Sholem Synagogue was
completed in 1908. New Bern has had an active Jewish congregation
since before 1824. http://www.bnai-sholem.org/ email:
bnai-sholem@att.net.:
"In 1865, the "Hebrews of New Bern" purchased land next to the
National Cemetery for a Jewish Cemetery." More Jews settled in
what are now Jones, Carteret and Pamlico counties as well as
Craven Co. and New Bern about 1850. Thee original deed for the
cemetery was found in the personal papers of a Lester Bray. The
land next to the National Cemetery was purchased for $100 from
Isaac and Annie Hughes on December 27, 1877. Signatures of four
Trustees for the United Hebrews of New Bern appear on the
document: Adolph Hahn, Meyer Hahn, Joseph Schwin and Henry
Sperling. The property was sold by the Hebrews of New Bern to
Chester Bnai Sholom Synagogue for $1, but, the assets of the
cemetery and the assets of the congregation are held separately
to this day.
http://www.bnai-sholem.org/_kd/Items/actions.cfm?action=Show&item_id=1013&destination=ShowItem script
with family reference. Address: Corner of Queen and George
Streets, (252) 636-4000[September 2005]
City Cemetery: There had been a city cemetery under
what is now Craven Street. At least one Jew was buried there:
Rabbi Yakov Abroo, who died before 1790.
PIKESVILLE: used Goldsboro
cemetery
RALEIGH: Wake County
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ncwake/ has
general Wake County information. [September 2005]
4 Synagogues in Wake County:
Beth Meyer in North Raleigh is Conservative. http://bethmeyer.raleigh.nc.us/ Founded
in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1875. [September 2005]
Beth Shalom, located in Cary, is Reform. 5713 Yates Mill
Pond Road, Raleigh, which is south of Tryon Road http://nc004.urj.net/ [September
2005]
Sha'arei Israel/Lubavitch, located in North Raleigh, is
Orthodox. http://www.ou.org/network/shuls/csinc.html [September
2005]
Temple Beth Or, located in Northwest Raleigh is Reform.
http://www.templebethor-raleigh.org/ [September
2005]
Oakwood Cemetery: "The Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery
is located in downtown Raleigh. We do not have a Jewish Funeral
Home here, but have worked well with Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in
preparing for Jewish funerals. The Hevra Kadisha of Raleigh
(Jewish Burial Society) engages in the sacred task of preparing
the deceased for proper burial according to Jewish tradition.
Members of the Hevra Kadisha are congregants from Beth Meyer and
Sha'arei Israel/Lubavitch Synagogues." Source: http://uscj.org/seabd/raleigbm/faq.html
[September 2000]http://www.historicoakwoodcemetery.org/home.asp
has history, burial list and cemetery map.
http://www.historicoakwoodcemetery.org/map_template.asp?section=20 has
map of "Old Hebrew" Section. http://www.historicoakwoodcemetery.org/burial.asp has
burial lookup. [September 2005] This Raleigh Hebrew
Cemetery Association cemetery in located adjacent to Oakwood
Cemetery in Raleigh. As Raleigh's only Jewish cemetery, the site
has approximately 250-300 graves. Source: David Zendels, 7805
Harps Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27615; e-mail: DAZEND@aol.com. 1919 Jewish
population was 120. Source: "Directory of Jewish Local
Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583. American
Jewish Year Book 5680 September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920;
volume 21. Edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish
Committee and submitted by Alan Hirschfeld. Documents exist in
AJA. American Jewish
Archives, 3101 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio 45220-2488.
513-221-1875 (tel); 513-221-7812 (fax). E-mail: AJA@cn.huc.edu:
The title of the corporation of the Hebrew Cemetery Company
of Wake County, NC, Raleigh, NC Jul. 11, 1870; deed of land
bought by the Hebrew Cemetery Company in Oakwood Cemetery,
Raleigh, NC, April 28, 1871 certification of that deed, Dec. 23,
188[6]
June 3, 1958 letter from Mattie D. Israel to Jerome
Rosenthal, concerning the Hebrew Cemetery Company. New York, NY.
Documents file and Rare Documents file. http://www.jewishtourofthecarolinas.org/rws.html has
information about Oakwood Cemetery and George Washington
Mordecai. "For $218.75 they obtained a 35 by 125 foot plot to
bury their dead." [September 2005]
Pineview Cemetery: Jewish section is called Beth-el.
Pineview is located at 761 N. Raleigh Street, Rocky Mount. The
Beth El section opened in 1936. No other cemeteries in the town
have reserved sections for Jewish burials. Pineview's burial list
is up-to-date as of Feb. 11, 2000 and will be available on a
website of their Cemetery Division. Contact Linda Moore to check
records for a listing or questions. Feel free to call (252)
972-1158. Source: Linda Moore: e-mail: moore@ci.rocky-mount.nc.us.
UPDATE: "Pineview is the oldest and largest of the cemeteries
owned and operated by the City of Rocky Mount. Located on the
south side of Raleigh Road between Pineview St. and Fairview Rd.,
in eastern Rocky Mount. Pineview Cemetery was purchased on May 6,
1889 from what was the Rocky Mount Cemetery Association. ...
Pineview is split into sections, the same way Rocky Mount is
divided into neighborhoods. "Pineview Cemetery has a Jewish
section set aside for those of the Jewish faith," said Peter
Varney, assistant city manager. ... In 1941, one of the Workers'
Progress Administration (WPA) projects was to collect cemetery
records across the United States. Records from North Carolina
were sent to the former Department of Archives and History in
Raleigh. These records and the records of Dr. Margaret Battle, a
member of the Nash Historical Society and a volunteer guide at
Stonewall Manor, are in the process of being compiled for Nash
County. The cemeteries are listed by name in alphabetical order.
The first book contains those whose last names begin with A-J,
said Billie Jo Matthews, president-elect of Tar River Connections
Genealogical Society. The second book, dealing with county
churches and family cemeteries for the last names beginning with
K-Z, is at the printer and will be available soon." Source:
http://www.ci.rocky-mount.nc.us/parks&rec/cemeteries.html.
Temple Beth El, Temple Beth El, 838 Sunset Avenue, Rocky Mount,
NC. Conservative (252) 446-7675.
http://www.newsobserver.com/lifestyles/religion/jewishtemple/v-printer/story/1235502p-7342645c.html has
history. [September 2005]
SALIBURY: see
Statesville
http://www.salisburytemple.org/history.html Temple
Israel. "Statesville had a historic temple, but it had been
closed for years, and the number of Jewish families there were
less than the number in Salisbury, so they readily became part of
the new organization here. .. 1944" Cemetery used is Oakwood in
Statesville. [September 2005]
Oakwood Cemetery: 1919 Jewish population was 55.
Source: "Directory of Jewish Local Organizations in the United
States" pp. 330-583. American Jewish Year Book 5680
September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920; volume 21. Edited by Harry
Schneiderman for the American Jewish Committee and submitted by
Alan Hirschfeld. UPDATE: East Broad Street, Statesville 28677.
UPDATE: established in 1887, consisting of 36.987
acres. [September 2005]
Temple Emanu-El, has a Jewish cemetery in Roanoke Rapids (the
adjacent town), which is a designated and sanctified Jewish
section of the local secular cemetery with a physical boundary.
The site possibly was established in the 1960's. Contacts: Mr.
Robert Leverman, 435 Roanoke Ave., Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 and
Mr. Ellis Farber, 608 Elm St., Box 66, Weldon, NC 27890 UPDATE:
"In the autumn of 2004, Temple Emanu-El in Weldon, NC, closed its
doors, entrusting its precious Torah scrolls and other Judaica to
the JHFNC for conservation. The Weldon Torah now has a new home
at Havurat Olam, Cabarrus County's first Jewish congregation,
where it is on permanent loan from the JHFNC." http://www.jhfnc.org/cust_intro.html.
http://www.sohp.org/research/lfac/N&O/6.5b10-Harry_Kittner.html has
Jewish history from March 14, 1999, Raleigh News &
Observer. Temple Emanu-El was organized in 1912 and used
by Enfield and Emporia. 8th and Sycamore Street, Weldon, NC was
temple site now closed. After voting last winter to shut down,
the temple began getting requests for its artifacts. A new
congregation in Virginia Beach got one of its Torah scrolls and
memorial plaques. The Kehillah, a new congregation in Chapel
Hill, got the furniture, books, candelabras and lectern.
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/friday/front/story/1667494p-7902171c.html.
http://www.newsobserver.com/lifestyles/religion/jewishtemple/v-printer/story/1235502p-7342645c.html has
history. Cemetery name may be Crestview. [September 2005]
B'nai Israel Cemetery: Also called B'nai Yisroel
Bur Grd at 18th St. & Princess Place Drive, the cemetery
was founded in 1898. Source: Julian H. Preisler, jhp1963@yahoo.com. 1919 Jewish
population was 400. Source: "Directory of Jewish Local
Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583. American
Jewish Year Book 5680 September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920;
volume 21. Edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish
Committee and submitted by Alan Hirschfeld. UPDATE: Historic
site. http://isjm.best.vwh.net/Buildings/records/BR252.htm has
Temple of Israel historic site information. An unusual Moorish
style building with red, blue, and yellow stained glass windows
diamond shaped patterns. The B'nai Israel cemetery, N. 18th
Street, was established in 1898. [September 2005]
Mount Sinai
Cemetery-Temple Emanuel Cemetery.
Source: Julian H. Preisler, jhp1963@yahoo.com. Location: 1600
block of Utica St. in the southern part of Winston-Salem. Utica
St. runs between Clemmonsville Rd and Palmer Lane. The grounds,
surrounded by a high wrought iron fence and locked gates, adjoins
the cemetery of Union Ridge United Methodist Church. A key,
required for entry, can be obtained from the committee that
oversees the administration of the cemetery: The Jewish Community
Council Cemetery Committee, Co-Chairmen: Mike Brenner and Barry
Eisenberg; phone 336-725-8333 (Brenner Iron and Steel Companies)
or Jean Lund [see below]. Purchase of space from a neighbor has
permitted enlargement of the site in the late 1990s to about
10,000 sq. ft. With about 250 occupied graves, the capacity now
is about 600 graves. The original cemetery grounds first were
purchased through the efforts of the Ladies Aid Society of
Winston-Salem Hebrew Congregation. The earliest grave appears to
be that of Jennie Miller who died in June 1922. Source: Jean
Lund, 3159 Burke Mill Court, Winston-Salem, NC 27103; phone
336-760-2884. UPDATE: Temple Emanuel, 201 Oakwood Drive, Winston
Salem, NC, 27103, 336-722-6640 http://www.templemanuel.com/ Temple
Emanuel was established in 1932. [September 2005]