Congregation Shearith Israel and the 1654 Society are embarking on a much-needed preservation project at Shearith Israel's West 11th Street Cemetery, New York City’s second-oldest Jewish gravesite. Although this unique and historically important cemetery is quite small, this vital project is surprisingly complicated and challenging. Help us preserve this important piece of our nation’s Jewish heritage: donate today.
We are extremely thankful to our early donors and funders for their support:
Congregation Shearith Israel's Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
In Memory of Paul David Finkelstein
In Memory of Richard Finkelstein
Susan and Jack Rudin On Behalf Of The Rudin Family
The Landmark Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Program
40 Fifth Avenue Corporation
The Hebra Hesed Va-Amet
Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Inc.
Anonymous (3)
Deena Aboodi
Lisa Ader in memory of Irving and Lillian Ader
Isaac Ainetchi
Christopher Atamian in memory of Heidi Weisel
The Aufzien Family in honor of Rabbi Ira Rohde
Esme and Roger Berg
Marc and Michele Borovoy in memory of Mathew Borovoy
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita in memory of the Bueno de Mesquita ancestors
Susan Chalfin in memory of Michael Chalfin
Corleto Family
William Harby Cunningham in honor of Isaac Harby
Daar Family
Irene David
Davida Deutsch
Betsy Dollinger
Rose and Henry Edinger
Zachary Edinger in honor of Brad Finkelstein
Andrew Fader
Rhoda Fairman
Barbara Finkelstein
Estelle Freilich
Susan Friedland
Richard Geist in honor of Friends of Greenwich Village as a Community
Elizabeth Gilmore in honor of Arthur Levin
Joyce Gold
Hana Newcomb and Jonathan Groisser, in honor of the B’nei Mitzvah of Julian, Rose, and Jacob Kaufelt
Alan Grossman in honor of Jean and Roger Grossman
Rabbi Berel Gurevitch
Robert Hammond
Jess & Matt Harris
Susan Harris
Jonathan and Janet Hodes
Michelle and Blake Horn
Debrah Welling and Jack Intrator
Thomas Jacks in honor of National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims
Lyn Johnson in memory of Jere Hillstead
Gomez de Llarena Karpinska Family in honor of Jacob, Rose and Julian Kaufelt
Julian Kaufelt, Jacob Kaufelt, and Rose Kaufelt upon becoming Bnai Mitzvah (a "tri-mitzvah")
Nina and Robbie Kaufelt
Edward Kerson
Sam W. Klein Charitable Foundation
Emily White and Walter Klores
Jesse Kornbluth in honor of the Kaufelt Tri-Mitzvah
Maud and Neal Kozodoy
Ms. Lola E. Langner
Geula Levi-Freeman
Andy Cohen and Deborah Lyons in honor of Julian, Rose & Jacob Kaufelt
Sally and John Margolis in honor of Bnai Mitzvot of Julian, Rose and Jacob Kaufelt
Steve, Dina, Amanda Solomon and Beverly Marshall in honor of
Julian, Rose and Jacob Kaufelt becoming Bnai Mitzvot
Aaron Edison & Jennifer Medina
Debbie Melamed in memory of Steven Melamed
Dinah and Andrew Mendes
Juraci Porto de Oliveira and Edward Morgenstern
Robert Moulthrop
Richard Mumby
Martin L. Nass in loving memory of his wife Marilyn L. Nass
Betsy and John Nason
Estate of Fran and Frederic Nathan
Larissa and Jack Obadia
Carolyn and Steven Okin
Nancy Pasley
Paul and Erin Pariser in memory of Sanford and Marilyn Pariser and Sheldon Leider
Matt Peltz
Chip and Susan Planck in memory of Hilary Planck
Susan and Marlon Portes
Zachary Prensky in memory of Jay Anderson
Jean and Ronald Rawitt
Ellen and John Ray
Gerald Robbins
Joy and Bruce Roberts
Rita Rodin
Lisa and Rabbi Ira Rohde
Joyce E. Rosen in honor of Myra and Sheldon Rosen and in memory of Rose Engelman
Leonard Rosenblum in memory of Roselle Rosenblum
Rick Rosemarin in memory of Ruth and Leo Rosemarin
John Russo in memory of Morris and Elizabeth Jacobs
Rob Long & Nick Sanchez in honor of Arthur Levin
Iris Sasson
Linda Saul-Sena and Mark Sena in memory of Julie Saul
Muriel and Alexander Seligson
Constance Shapiro
Eli and Arthur Shapiro
Yaakov Shechter in honor of Brad Finkelstein
Sidewater Family Foundation
Estate of Myron and Barbara Herlands Smith
Tracey and Theo Spencer
Charles Sutphin
Jane Tate
Craig Unger in honor of Rob Kaufelt
Margaret Wenig
Betsy and David Wice
Esther Allen and Nathaniel Wice
Adam Woodward, Sr.
Amy Zalman in memory of Violetta Bardavid Zalman
Charlotte Triefus and Lloyd Zuckerberg
Abbie Zuckerman in memory of Phyllis and Murray Zuckerman
Shearith Israel is North America’s oldest Jewish congregation, and has been in New York City for over 360 years, since the days of Peter Stuyvesant’s New Amsterdam. The 1654 Society is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-sectarian organization charged with the preservation of the historically significant objects, cemeteries, and synagogue space of Congregation Shearith Israel.
The West 11th Street Cemetery dates back to 1805, and is a national and city landmark rich in historical and cultural significance. This triangular graveyard reminds the world that Jews have been living in New York City for hundreds of years. And the stories of those buried within, of revolutionary war veteran Ephraim Hart, noted painter Joshua A. Canter, and others, shed light on the birth of our nation, the history of our city, and the cultural and civic development of the American people. This graveyard is located at 76 West 11th St, just east of Sixth Avenue, in the heart of Greenwich Village. Learn more about the history of our second cemetery here.
On February 27, 2020, the West 11th Street Cemetery turned 215 years old, and it is in dire need of preservation and repair. To make matters worse, a car crash in 2019 resulted in serious damage, requiring us to cover and protect the area with a temporary plywood wall. The cemetery walls are unsound, its grave markers are leaning and nearly illegible, and passersby can learn very little about the cemetery when they stop to linger at its gate. This living piece of history is vanishing before our eyes, and if our renewal efforts are not completed, this cemetery will literally disappear before our great-grandchildren can visit it.
Our dedicated West 11th Street Project Committee, consisting of Shearith Israel professionals, congregants, and concerned and historically oriented neighbors of the cemetery, has been working since early 2013 to get these renewal efforts off the ground. This tireless group has applied for and received grants, raised early funds, commissioned a structural engineering survey, commissioned a property survey, met with various architects, and hired Rachel Frankel Architecture, a respected architect-conservator team with decades of experience in the preservation of Jewish burial grounds. Our architectural conservators estimate that repairing, stabilizing, and beautifying the cemetery will cost at least $500,000 and we are aiming to raise more in order to maintain the cemetery and not let it suffer from neglect.
A project of this nature takes patience, perseverance, expertise, and financial resources. At long last, in the Fall of 2020, our restoration project was enthusiastically approved by the Community Board and New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission and was issued a Certificate of Appropriateness; and construction commenced in the Summer of 2022 with an expected completion date of November 2022.
But our ultimate aspiration is to do more than just preserve this cemetery. Today, New York's second-oldest Jewish burial ground is not open to the public and lacks educational signage or visitor guidance. Thus, our committee aims to raise enough to do three things:
1. Complete the urgent repairs
2. Fund a maintenance endowment
3. Open the cemetery to the public, and guide visitors through educational signage, audio tours, and docent-led tours
To date, our committee has raised over half the funds needed to repair and stabilize the cemetery. We are counting on you to help us cross the finish line: Donate below to save the West 11th Street Cemetery and share this treasure with the public.
To learn more or to discuss a major gift, please contact Rev. Zachary Edinger.
1654 Society
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