Mikveh Israel Cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, giving evidence of a settled community as early as 1740. A number of outstanding patriots, pioneers, and other notables of the Jewish faith who made important contributions to the history and freedom of America during the Colonial and Revolutionary period were interred here, and for this reason, in 1959, by an act of Congress, the burial ground was designated as a unit of the

Independence National Historical Park Independence National Historical Park is a federally protected historic district in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National P ...

, while continuing to be maintained by the sponsoring Congregation Mikveh Israel. The cemetery was certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, and in 1971, it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

.National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, Entry Number 71.6.42.0041 6/24/71
/ref> The site is , less than in size, and is located in the Washington Square West neighborhood, in the center city section of Philadelphia, about mi west and mi south of

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. The structure forms the centerpi ...

History

Mikveh Israel Cemetery was originally a private burial ground for the family of Nathan Levy. In 1738, one of Levy's children died. Rather than bury the child in unsanctified ground, he applied to John Penn (chief of Pennsylvania's proprietary government at that time) for "a small piece of ground" with permission to make it a family cemetery. This property was at the corner of 9th and Walnut Streets, the present site of the

Walnut Street Theatre The Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809 at 825 Walnut Street, on the corner of S. 9th Street in the Washington Square West neighborhood of Philadelphia, is the oldest operating theatre in the United States. The venue is operated by the Walnu ...

. Two years later, Nathan Levy secured a larger plot from the Penn family at the present location of Mikveh Israel Cemetery. This was meant to be a permanent burial ground for the entire Jewish community of Philadelphia. Levy was buried there upon his death in 1753. The cemetery in 1740 was a 30' x 30' plot. In 1752, Nathan Levy received an additional grant of land north of the first plot. In 1765, John Penn granted Mathias Bush an adjacent piece of ground for burial purposes. By that time, the burial place was managed by the Sephardic synagogue Congregation Mikveh Israel (official name: קהל קדוש מקוה ישראל, Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel, or "Holy Congregation Hope of Israel"), founded in 1740 and still active in the 21st century. In 1791, the Congregation appointed trustees for the burial ground, and in 1793, the Levy family recognized the right of the Congregatin Mikveh Israel to the Spruce Street Cemetery. However the dissensions among the descendants of the buried still disputed the right of ownership, until April 14, 1828, when the Legislature passed an act giving the burial ground to the Jews of Philadelphia, with the names of the trustees affixed to the petition. After the purchase of the Federal Street Cemetery, the burials on Spruce Street had almost ceased, the last recorded one being Hetty Pesoa, July 3, 1886. Mikveh Israel would acquire the Beth El Emeth Cemetery in 1895. In the present day, Congregation Mikveh Israel continues to steward these three cemeteries.

Burials

Many distinguished Americans are buried in Mikveh Israel Cemetery. They include: *Nathan Levy (1704–1753), a merchant, he was the founder of the Jewish community of Philadelphia and established first Mikveh Israel Cemetery. Born in New York City, he moved to Philadelphia at a young age where he would engage in business with David Franks, under the firm name of Levy & Franks, this being the first Jewish business-house in Philadelphia. Levy's ship, ''Myrtilla,'' was long reputed to have transported the Liberty Bell from England to Philadelphia in 1752 (though the ''

Hibernia ''Hibernia'' () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (c. 320 BC), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). ...

'', captained by William Child, is more likely to have transported the bell). *

Lucy Marks Lucy Marks was an African-American Jew from Philadelphia, one of the few documented Black Jews during early American history. Life Marks was owned by the Marks family, a white Jewish family in Philadelphia. She adopted the family name of the peo ...

(1823), Lucy Marks was a slave owned by the Marks Family. Lucy took her owners surname which was common practice during slavery during this era. Lucy observed the traditions of Judaism and was a member of Congregation Mikveh Israel in the 1790s. Upon her death in 1823, the family applied for the customary burial in the synagogues cemetery. After a short delay and intense support from other members, Lucy was buried in an unmarked grave * Haym Solomon (1740–1785), Polish-born patriot and financier of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, arrived in New York in 1772, joined the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

, one of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's personal friends, captured and sentenced to death by the British in 1776, used his knowledge of German (he spoke eight languages) to convince his Hessian jailer to escape with him to Philadelphia, where he arrived penniless. *Michael Gratz (1740–1811), signed the Maryland's Resolution of Non-Importation of 1765 to protest the Stamp Act, and, with his brother Barnard Gratz, encouraged the opening of the West to settlement. *Jacob Gratz (1790–1856), son of Michael Gratz, served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and State Senate, veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. *

Rebecca Gratz Rebecca Gratz (March 4, 1781 – August 27, 1869) was a member of thGratzfamily, who settled in the United States before the Revolutionary War. She was a Jewish American educator and philanthropist in 19th-century America. Early life Rebecca G ...

(1781–1869), daughter of Michael Gratz, noted for her philanthropy, regarded as the model for the character Rebecca in

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's '' Ivanhoe'', and the first Jewish female college student in the United States (at Franklin College, later part of

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...

in Lancaster, Pennsylvania). *Aaron Levy, founder of Aaronsburg,

Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...

, Pennsylvania in 1786. Named for him, Aaronsburg is the first town in Pennsylvania (and probably in the entire United States) that was planned by and named after a Jew. He was also a known benefactor of Christian churches there. A pioneer and fur trader, he was a close friend and financial supporter of

Haym Salomon Haym Salomon (also Solomon; anglicized from Chaim Salomon; April 7, 1740 – January 6, 1785) was a Polish-born Jewish businessman and political financial broker who assisted the Superintendent of Finance, English-born Robert Morris, as the prim ...

. *Benjamin Nones (1757–1826), born in France, he served on the staffs of both General Washington and General Lafayette. While still a private under Count Pulaski, he received a letter of commendation in 1779 written by Captain Verdier, a splendid testimonial to his courage. He fought in almost every action in the Carolinas. Nones became a Major of the Hebrew Legion of 400 men attached to

Johann de Kalb Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb (June 19, 1721 – August 19, 1780), born Johann Kalb, was a Franconian-born French military officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was mortal ...

’s command. Several years after the war, he was appointed an interpreter of Spanish and French for the United States government. * John Moss (1771-1847) Philadelphia merchant, shipping magnate, and civic leader. *Phillip Moses Russell, with the Continental Army at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the ...

and surgeon's mate to General Washington. *At least 21 Jewish soldiers of the Revolutionary War, and others from the

and the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, are interred in the burial grounds, including: Coshmon Pollock, the patriot from Georgia who fought in the siege of Savannah during the Revolution; Jacob I. Cohen, who fought in Pulaski's South Carolina campaign; Joseph Phillips, Benjamin Phillips, Abraham Mitchell, and Elias Pollock, veterans of the

. The cemetery ceased to be a regular place of burial in 1886 except for the interment of Josephine Etting in 1913, Fanny Polano Elmaleh, wife of Reverend Leon H. Elmaleh, in 1966, and Reverend Leon H. Elmaleh in 1972.Mary M. Cohen, ''An Old Philadelphia Cemetery: The Resting Place of Rebecca Gratz'', Vol. 2, No. 4 (Philadelphia, PA: City History Soc. of Philadelphia, 1920). File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery Lot Plan by John Lukens Surveyor General 1765.jpg, 1765 Lot Plan image:Philip Moses Russell marker.jpg, Philip Moses Russell image:Joseph Rodrigwez Pereyra marker.jpg, Joseph Rodriguez Pereyra image:Moses Mordcai marker.jpg, Moses Mordecai image:Samuel Hays marker.jpg, Samuel Hays image:Michael Gratz marker.jpg, Michael Gratz image:Reuben Etting marker.jpg, Reuben Etting File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery 831 Spruce St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3451).jpg File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery 831 Spruce St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3456).jpg File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery 831 Spruce St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3455).jpg File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery 831 Spruce St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3457).jpg File:Mikveh Israel Cemetery 831 Spruce St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3459).jpg

References

External links

The Spruce Street Cemetery by Congregation Mikveh Israel

Mikveh Israel Cemetery by Sarah F. Goldsmith for the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaMikvah Israel Cemetery at Find A Grave
{{authority control Cemeteries in Philadelphia Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Jewish cemeteries in Pennsylvania Jews and Judaism in Philadelphia Independence National Historical Park Washington Square West, Philadelphia 1740 establishments in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state historical marker significations Old City, Philadelphia Portuguese-Jewish culture in the United States Sephardi Jewish culture in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Spanish-Jewish culture in the United States

History

Burials

See also

References

External links