West 11th Street Cemetery Renewal Project

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
• The 1654 Society
• 40 Fifth Avenue Corporation
• The Hebra Hased Va-Amet
• Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Inc.
• Deena Aboodi
• Lisa Ader, in memory of Irving and Lillian Ader
• Isaac Ainetchi
• Anonymous (3)
• 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
• Andy Cohen & Deborah Lyons, in honor of Julian, Rose & Jacob Kaufelt
• The Corleto Family
• The 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
• Susan Harris
• Janet and Jonathan Hodes
• 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
• 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
• Sally and Jon Margolis, in honor of B’nai Mitzvot of Julian, Rose, and Jacob Kaufelt
• 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
• Betsy and John Nason
• Martin L. Nass, in loving memory of his wife, Marilyn L. Nass
• Estate of Fran and Frederic Nathan
• Larissa and Jack Obadia
• Carolyn and Steven Okin
• Paul and Erin Pariser, in memory of Sanford and Marilyn Pariser and Sheldon Leider
• Nancy Pasley
• Matt Peltz
• Susan and Chip 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
• Joy and Bruce Roberts
• Gerald Robbins
• 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
• 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
• 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.
• 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.

Click here to give.

To learn more or to discuss a major gift, please contact Rev. Zachary Edinger.