Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Winnipeg, Canada. Founded in 1911, it contained approximately 3,500 graves as of 1996.[1] It also contains a war memorial to fallen Jewish servicemen in World War II.
| Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1911 |
| Location | 2605 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°57′37″N 97°08′14″W / 49.96028°N 97.13717°W |
| Find a Grave | Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery |
History edit
The cemetery was founded in 1911 by the Hebrew Sick Benefit Association of Winnipeg, which had been established five years earlier as a loan society and social group.[2][3] Located in the Old Kildonan district,[4] it is one of six Jewish cemeteries in the city.[5]
In keeping with Jewish tradition, women and men are not buried next to one another unless they are close family members or spouses.[5] The cemetery also has unmarked plots for the burial of genizah.[5]
Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery is one of nine Jewish cemeteries in the province of Manitoba to be documented by volunteers in a 15-year project that began in 1996. Under the auspices of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, the project aimed to create a photographic record of every Jewish gravestone in the province, with a corresponding database.[5]
In 1999, the cemetery was targeted by vandals who knocked down more than 200 headstones.[6] Fifty of the stones were "shattered beyond repair", with overall damages estimated at $100,000.[7][6] Police arrested five suspects between the ages of 15 and 21.[6] Photographs of the headstones that had been taken by the volunteer cemetery photography project were used to reconstruct the names and dates on the headstones and correctly position replacement stones.[5][8] In May 2014, vandalism to 20 headstones was discovered, with damages estimated at $40,000 to $60,000.[9]
World War II memorial edit
In September 1946, a memorial to Jewish servicemen killed in World War II was dedicated in the parking lot of the cemetery.[4] The stone monument was engraved with the names of 63 Jewish members from all three military services.[10] The memorial was commissioned by the Hebrew Sick Benefit Society and unveiled by Roland Fairbairn McWilliams, Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba, in a ceremony that attracted more than 500 attendees.[4][10]
References edit
- ^ "AJGS Cemetery Project". Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. 12: 61. 1996.
- ^ Wilson, Jill (June 2019). "The Crossroads of Canada". Literary Review of Canada. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ Levitt, Sheldon; Milstone, Lynn; Tenenbaum, Sidney T. (1985). Treasures of a people: the synagogues of Canada. Lester & Orpen Dennys. p. 38. ISBN 9780886190699.
- ^ a b c Kramer, Nathan; Toews, Darryl; Goldsborough, Gordon (December 1, 2019). "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery and War Memorial (2605 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Prepes, Rhonda J. (2010). "Lynn Roseman's Very Big Undertaking: Everything you wanted to know about Jewish cemeteries and more". Winnipeg Jewish Review. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c Grossman, Lawrence; Singer, David, eds. (2000). American Jewish Yearbook 2000. American Jewish Committee. p. 272. ISBN 9780874951158.
- ^ deGroot, Scott F. (1983), "Inscribed in Stone: A preliminary investigation into the history, built structures, and landscapes of Jewish cemeteries in Manitoba", Jewish Life and Times: A Collection of Essays, Jewish Historical Society of Western Canada, p. 49, ISBN 978-0-969-12568-6
- ^ Chisvin, Sharon (March 27, 2010). "Photos a record of all headstones in Manitoba's Jewish cemeteries". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ "20 headstones vandalized in McPhillips cemetery". CTV Winnipeg. May 14, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- ^ a b "Jews Unveil Second Great War Memorial". The Winnipeg Tribune. September 30, 1946. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
