The Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, also known as the Beth Israel Synagogue Cemetery, is a
Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...
located on west side of Windsor Street at the intersection of Connaught Avenue beside
Fairview Cemetery in the city of
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
, Canada. It has been the burial ground of the congregation of the Beth Israel Synagogue of Halifax since 1893.
History
The Baron De Hirsch Hebrew Benevolent Society, named for the philanthropist,
Baron Maurice de Hirsch
Moritz Freiherr von Hirsch auf Gereuth (; ; 9 December 1831 – 21 April 1896), commonly known as Maurice de Hirsch, was a German Jewish financier and philanthropist who set up charitable foundations to promote Jewish education and improve the l ...
(1831–1896), of
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, sought to acquire land on the outskirts of Halifax for a local cemetery. The Culvie Farm property was purchased for that purpose on 20 June 1893,by Abraham Michaels a local merchant who had lost his partner and with no Jewish cemetery had to ship hhim to NYC for burial, and the land was consecrated on 30 July 1893. Some changes to the boundaries of the cemetery were negotiated with the city in the 1950s due to the city's need to realign Windsor Street. The city provided additional property, but some original memorial walls had to be disassembled and moved. The new wall was dedicated on 30 September 1968. An anonymous donor since 2004 has funded renovations and expansion.
[
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RMS ''Titanic''
Of the 209 bodies recovered after the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic'' in April 1912, 150 were buried in Halifax cemeteries. Ten victims were buried at Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, eight of whom unidentified. The others were the ''Titanics saloon steward Frederick William Wormald and passenger Michel Navratil, Sr. While the intent was for Jewish victims to be buried in the cemetery based on initial body identification, it later turned out that the only two identified victims from ''Titanic'' in the cemetery were not Jewish. Wormald was Church of England and Navratil, who had boarded the ship under the name "Louis M. Hoffman", was Catholic.Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
soldier of World War I.
CWGC Casualty Record.
References
External links
Beth Israel Synagogue Cemetery website
Titanica rendering of gravesites of Titanic victims
The Jewish Traveler: The Maritimes, Hadassah Magazine
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baron De Hirsch Cemetery (Halifax)
Cemeteries in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Jewish cemeteries in Canada
Jews and Judaism in Halifax, Nova Scotia
North End, Halifax
Cemeteries established in the 1890s
1893 establishments in Nova Scotia