Over the past few years, I have written in my Cemetery Traveler blog about a formerly abandoned Jewish cemetery in the woods of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania (this is a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia). The location and status of the graveyard (which was active from about 1860 to 1945) has perplexed people for years. Simply finding it has been the biggest challenge for most people. After you see the eighteen acres of hills and valleys peppered with thousands of old gravestones, monuments, and rusty fencing, you cannot help but wonder, “What’s the story here?”
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| Unusual zinc ("white bronze") cradle crave marker |
Well, this weekend you have an opportunity to find out! Gladwyne’s Beth David Reform Congregation, the current owners of what is known as Har Ha Zetim Cemetery, will provide a tour and information session. If you’re curious, please come by! I will be attending. If you’d like to help at some point in the future, that’s even better. Here is Beth David's announcement:
Sunday in the Cemetery
Sunday, Oct. 25th, 2015
2 - 4 pm
This unique behind-the-scenes tour will provide insight into
the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of the Gladwyne Jewish
Memorial Cemetery as well as the complex tasks involved in transforming this
formerly abandoned site into a woodland memorial park. Led by a group of local experts, we'll discuss
a variety of topics relevant to the cemetery's revitalization including
headstone restoration, gravestone mapping and database creation, and restoring
the cemetery's rich forest ecology. Guides include Rachel Wolgemuth, historian
and database manager at West Laurel Hill, Carol Yaster, President of the Board
of the Friends of Laurel Hill Cemetery, Scott Quitel, ecologist and Founder of
LandHealth Institute, and Bill Doran, superintendent of Laurel Hill Cemetery.
To register, please email Jill Cooper at jcooper@bdavid.org.
Beth David
Reform Congregation
1130 Vaughan Lane
Gladwyne, PA 19035
1130 Vaughan Lane
Gladwyne, PA 19035
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| Veteran's grave at Har Ha Zetim Cemetery |
Another good reason to stop by is that the foliage is beginning to die off so you will get a better appreciation for the expansiveness of the cemetery, and the work that has been accomplished by volunteers. Invasive foliage as been cleared and paths have been laid out. For more information on Beth David Reform Congregation in
Gladwyne, PA, please see website: http://www.bdavid.org/
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| Same graves in fall and winter |
For some background, here are the three blogs I’ve
previously posted on Har Ha Zetim Cemetery:
May 15, 2015
May 15, 2015
A New Era for Abandoned Jewish Cemetery
March 9, 2014
Graves Beneath the Snow
April 6, 2012
Passover and Gladwyne's Abandoned Jewish Cemetery
