Ahavas Chesed Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Ahavas Chesed Cemetery, is a historic Jewish cemetery
located in Mobile, Alabama
. It was established by the Ahavas Chesed congregation in 1898. It covers about 2 acre (0.809372 ha) of land in a narrow strip that adjoins the Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
.
n and Eastern Europe
an Orthodox Jews
(now Conservative
) to Mobile, joining the well-established Reform Jewish
community, started by German Jewish immigrants to the city. The newcomers began meeting in the home of Jacob Levinson in 1894 and called themselves Ahavas Chesed, or "Love of Kindness." They purchased a site for burials on September 29, 1898, adjacent to the Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
of the Reform congregation, where their dead could be buried with stricter adherence to ancient Jewish custom than is practiced by other congregation.
The group converted a home at the corner of Conti and Warren Streets into a synagogue
in 1908 and by 1911 had built a new building on that same site. The congregation moved to a new synagogue on Dauphin Street in 1956 and then moved again in 1990 to their present location on Regents Way.
The congregation of Ahavas Chesed utilize a chevra kadisha
. The dead are not embalmed prior to interment; instead, the preparers ritually wash the body within a few hours after death and clothe it in simple white garments. The body is placed in a simple wooden coffin, which is kept closed at the funeral service. In the cemetery, the headstones are all roughly the same size, to show equality in the eyes of God.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
located in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. It was established by the Ahavas Chesed congregation in 1898. It covers about 2 acre (0.809372 ha) of land in a narrow strip that adjoins the Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery is a historic Jewish cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was established by Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim in 1876 after their previous cemetery, Jewish Rest in the adjacent Magnolia Cemetery, was filled to capacity. The cemetery is situated on and is...
.
History
The late 19th century saw an influx of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
(now Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
) to Mobile, joining the well-established Reform Jewish
Reform Judaism (North America)
Reform Judaism is the largest denomination of American Jews today. With an estimated 1.5 million members, it also accounts for the largest number of Jews affiliated with Progressive Judaism worldwide.- Reform Jewish theology :Rabbi W...
community, started by German Jewish immigrants to the city. The newcomers began meeting in the home of Jacob Levinson in 1894 and called themselves Ahavas Chesed, or "Love of Kindness." They purchased a site for burials on September 29, 1898, adjacent to the Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery
Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery is a historic Jewish cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was established by Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim in 1876 after their previous cemetery, Jewish Rest in the adjacent Magnolia Cemetery, was filled to capacity. The cemetery is situated on and is...
of the Reform congregation, where their dead could be buried with stricter adherence to ancient Jewish custom than is practiced by other congregation.
The group converted a home at the corner of Conti and Warren Streets into a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
in 1908 and by 1911 had built a new building on that same site. The congregation moved to a new synagogue on Dauphin Street in 1956 and then moved again in 1990 to their present location on Regents Way.
The congregation of Ahavas Chesed utilize a chevra kadisha
Chevra Kadisha
A chevra kadisha is a loosely structured but generally closed organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to Halacha and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial...
. The dead are not embalmed prior to interment; instead, the preparers ritually wash the body within a few hours after death and clothe it in simple white garments. The body is placed in a simple wooden coffin, which is kept closed at the funeral service. In the cemetery, the headstones are all roughly the same size, to show equality in the eyes of God.
See also
- Church Street GraveyardChurch Street GraveyardChurch Street Graveyard is a historic city cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama. The cemetery is situated on and is surrounded by a brick wall that dates to 1830...
- Magnolia CemeteryMagnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama)Magnolia Cemetery is a city cemetery located in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The cemetery is situated on and was established in 1836. From that time onward it served as Mobile's primary burial site during the 19th century. It is the final resting place for many of Mobile's 19th and early 20th...
- Catholic Cemetery