What's New
Descendants find a relative's grave We were thrilled to accompany Susan Zweighaft and her husband Dick to the cemetery in July 2022, where we located the gravesite of her great grand-uncle, Morris Aaron Zweighaft (1860 - 1900). Susan has been researching her family genealogy for several years and travelled from Virginia to visit with us!
Morris and his wife, Rosa Klein, lived in Philadelphia. They had eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood: Jerome, Louis, Esther, Benjamin, Albert and Hannah.
Morris and his wife, Rosa Klein, lived in Philadelphia. They had eight children, six of whom survived to adulthood: Jerome, Louis, Esther, Benjamin, Albert and Hannah.
Headstone Restoration continues, thanks to the expertise of Gravestone Matters. We are able to engage in this painstaking yet meaningful work thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you are interested in supporting our mission, please click here to contribute.
The Graduate History Review has just published "Writing History Among the Tombstones: Notes from Har Hasetim" by Dan Gorman and Andreína Soto Segura. This fascinating report is the result of their graduate studies work with Dr. Craig Bailey at Villanova University. Click below to read the report in its entirety, including interesting facts about Jewish life in Philadelphia early in the 20th century.
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2019 Annual Member Meeting & Open House
Sunday, March 31st, 2019 at 11:00am
Our 2019 Annual Meeting was held Sunday, March 31st. Board President Neil Sukonik presented a recap of our 2018 achievements, and highlighted our initiatives for 2019. Following the meeting, several attendees participated in a guided tour of the property.
Sunday, March 31st, 2019 at 11:00am
Our 2019 Annual Meeting was held Sunday, March 31st. Board President Neil Sukonik presented a recap of our 2018 achievements, and highlighted our initiatives for 2019. Following the meeting, several attendees participated in a guided tour of the property.
Our Pillars Have Been Restored
What's new at the cemetery?? We've been hard at work removing invasive weeds, and seeding where weeds once lived. But the MOST EXCITING news is thank you to Matt Murphy and his son Ronan, who volunteered their time over the summer to complete this project...check out the beautiful restored entrance pillars! (Before and after images)
What's new at the cemetery?? We've been hard at work removing invasive weeds, and seeding where weeds once lived. But the MOST EXCITING news is thank you to Matt Murphy and his son Ronan, who volunteered their time over the summer to complete this project...check out the beautiful restored entrance pillars! (Before and after images)
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2017-18 Year in Review
Significant progress was made at the cemetery in 2017/2018:
Site stabilization efforts continued:
Many work days, both with members of the Friends and with outside volunteer groups, had a positive impact at the cemetery. Additional invasive cork trees and damaged trees were taken down. New paths that loop through the property were created to provide access to additional areas of the cemetery. Path stabilization efforts using wood chips continued and we are on schedule to have all paths wood chipped by the end of 2018. An area was cleared to be converted into a meadow and a path through the meadow was cleared. Specific meadow plants and grasses will begin to be planted in 2018. TEND Landscapes completed an overall Landscape Plan for the site that will help guide us in enacting certain elements of the Master Plan. The Landscape Plan will prove invaluable in ensuring our future efforts of stabilization and planting are on point as well as guiding us through the remaining transition from the overgrown site populated by many invasive plants, weeds, and trees we inherited to a stabilized site populated by native species that are both esthetically beautiful and operationally manageable. As part of this Plan, over 100 trees were inventoried, numbered, and tagged. This will help protect these trees and will eventually allow us to provide a guide for visitors to enjoy the over 16 unique species of trees at the site.
The Stephen J. Anderer Foundation held its first annual Day of Service, which was well attended. The foundation will be focused on a number of initiatives that were important to Stephen and we look forward to our ongoing interaction with his wife, Susan, in this regard.
The Friends honored Stephen’s memory by installing a beautiful granite bench at the cemetery. Thank you to Goldstein’s Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks and West Laurel Hill for their generous donations for this bench.
Access:
Yerkes Engineering surveyed and designed a paved lower access driveway and within the Greaves Lane Right of Way leading to a parking/turnaround area. This access will provide vehicular access both for visitors and work crews. We are proceeding with Township approvals so that the driveway can be installed. A generous donation was received from the Stanley and Audrey Goldstein Foundation (Ken Mayer, Trustee) to help fund this important initiative. We continue to use the upper access right-of-way through the neighboring property owned by Alan Kirsch, who continues to be gracious in honoring our existing access rights over his property.
Membership:
See Annual Report on the State of the Corporation. It is a priority to expand our outreach and attract additional funding to continue the progress we have been making.
Dues and Donations:
See Annual Report on the State of the Corporation. We have engaged software vendor Flipcause, which has made the donation process more streamlined and created a better user experience directly through the website.
Headstones/Graves:
Translation efforts were slow to expand in 2017, however we expect to make significant progress in 2018.
Efforts to complete a full listing, location, and searchable database are being led by Trustee Steve Finkelman.
Repair and restoration efforts have begun. Grave Stone Matters, a restoration company from upper New York State, restored six graves near the upper entrance in November and will be returning this spring. The goal is to create an area within the cemetery that approximates a finished condition so that visitors and potential donors can see what is possible throughout the entire cemetery. We anticipate working with a local grave restorer in the coming year in addition to Grave Stone Matters to expand this effort. Dennis Montagna, Program Manager, Monument Research and Preservation, National Park Service, Northeast Region provided valuable guidance in this effort. West Laurel Hill is also providing ongoing important assistance.Type your paragraph here.
Significant progress was made at the cemetery in 2017/2018:
Site stabilization efforts continued:
Many work days, both with members of the Friends and with outside volunteer groups, had a positive impact at the cemetery. Additional invasive cork trees and damaged trees were taken down. New paths that loop through the property were created to provide access to additional areas of the cemetery. Path stabilization efforts using wood chips continued and we are on schedule to have all paths wood chipped by the end of 2018. An area was cleared to be converted into a meadow and a path through the meadow was cleared. Specific meadow plants and grasses will begin to be planted in 2018. TEND Landscapes completed an overall Landscape Plan for the site that will help guide us in enacting certain elements of the Master Plan. The Landscape Plan will prove invaluable in ensuring our future efforts of stabilization and planting are on point as well as guiding us through the remaining transition from the overgrown site populated by many invasive plants, weeds, and trees we inherited to a stabilized site populated by native species that are both esthetically beautiful and operationally manageable. As part of this Plan, over 100 trees were inventoried, numbered, and tagged. This will help protect these trees and will eventually allow us to provide a guide for visitors to enjoy the over 16 unique species of trees at the site.
The Stephen J. Anderer Foundation held its first annual Day of Service, which was well attended. The foundation will be focused on a number of initiatives that were important to Stephen and we look forward to our ongoing interaction with his wife, Susan, in this regard.
The Friends honored Stephen’s memory by installing a beautiful granite bench at the cemetery. Thank you to Goldstein’s Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks and West Laurel Hill for their generous donations for this bench.
Access:
Yerkes Engineering surveyed and designed a paved lower access driveway and within the Greaves Lane Right of Way leading to a parking/turnaround area. This access will provide vehicular access both for visitors and work crews. We are proceeding with Township approvals so that the driveway can be installed. A generous donation was received from the Stanley and Audrey Goldstein Foundation (Ken Mayer, Trustee) to help fund this important initiative. We continue to use the upper access right-of-way through the neighboring property owned by Alan Kirsch, who continues to be gracious in honoring our existing access rights over his property.
Membership:
See Annual Report on the State of the Corporation. It is a priority to expand our outreach and attract additional funding to continue the progress we have been making.
Dues and Donations:
See Annual Report on the State of the Corporation. We have engaged software vendor Flipcause, which has made the donation process more streamlined and created a better user experience directly through the website.
Headstones/Graves:
Translation efforts were slow to expand in 2017, however we expect to make significant progress in 2018.
Efforts to complete a full listing, location, and searchable database are being led by Trustee Steve Finkelman.
Repair and restoration efforts have begun. Grave Stone Matters, a restoration company from upper New York State, restored six graves near the upper entrance in November and will be returning this spring. The goal is to create an area within the cemetery that approximates a finished condition so that visitors and potential donors can see what is possible throughout the entire cemetery. We anticipate working with a local grave restorer in the coming year in addition to Grave Stone Matters to expand this effort. Dennis Montagna, Program Manager, Monument Research and Preservation, National Park Service, Northeast Region provided valuable guidance in this effort. West Laurel Hill is also providing ongoing important assistance.Type your paragraph here.