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Rose Hill Cemetery was the first Jewish organization established in the community under the original name of “The Hebrew Society of Brotherly Love” in 1853.
Under the Society, Rose Hill was established “To procure and provide suitable grounds for the burial of deceased Israelites and to keep in repair and ornament the same; and to suitably, and at the expense of the organization, inter according to the rites and usages of our faith, strangers and indigent Israelites who may decease in our midst.”
Originally the plot of ground purchased was located in what was then known as Lowell, IN. Presently, this is the area around Sunny Italy Restaurant and the Madison Center.
In 1883, the plot was sold and the graves were transferred to the present property at 1616 South Miami Street.
Founding members of Temple Beth-El have long been associated with Rose Hill. Past directors include Adler, Barth, Berman, Feig, Lemontree, Morrison, Oppenheim, Sampson, and Simon.
In 1952, under the leadership of then Temple President Phil Welber, Rose Hill was named the officially sanctioned Reform Jewish Cemetery of the South Bend community.
In 1975 the Temple Beth-El Board of Directors assumed responsibility for maintaining a Board of Directors of the Rose Hill Association.
In 1997 the ownership of Rose Hill was formally transferred to Temple Beth-El.
Since Temple Beth-El’s involvement with Rose Hill Cemetery, the cemetery has been able to continue to accommodate Jewish burial for all Jews, as well as their spouses and children of an interred plot owner – even if those immediate family members are not Jewish.
For more information please contact Temple Beth-El directly.
The above information was compiled by Anne Feferman and drawn from the publication A Burial Ground for Deceased Israelites, Jewish Cemeteries in South Bend, Brotherly Love, 1859-1884, Rose Hill, 1883, by Roger Birdsell, published by the Michiana Jewish Historical Society, Inc. 2002. Copies of this publication are available at the Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley.
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