Temple Emanu-El Cemetery
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established by Temple Emanu-el congregation in 1884, this was the second Jewish cemetery in Dallas. The first burials which occurred here were those of Russian immigrants Aaron L. Levy and Jacob Rosenthal. Both men were born in Russia on June 2, 1856, and died in Dallas on October 7, 1884. Gravestones exhibiting death dates prior to 1884 mark burials which were moved here in 1956 from Dallas' first Jewish cemetery. Established by the Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1872, that graveyard was originally located downtown on Akard Street. Among those interred here are many of Dallas' early business , civic, religious, political, and social leaders. The cemetery contains thousands of graves, marked by a diversity of tombstones and monuments, including two private family mausoleums. Also buried here are veterans of World War I and World War II, as well as several survivors of the Nazi holocaust in World War II. A memorial to Jewish veterans of the two world wars was dedicated in 1948. Maintenance of this historic cemetery, which serves as a tangible reminder of the area's Jewish heritage, is overseen by Temple Emanu-el Congregation.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1884 by the Temple Emanu-El congregation, this was Dallas's second Jewish cemetery, its first burials belonging to two Russian immigrants who died the same day. Older graves were carried here in 1956 from the city's first Jewish burial ground on Akard Street, established in 1872. Among its thousands of monuments rest early Dallas business and civic leaders, veterans of both world wars, and survivors of the Nazi Holocaust.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a tangible record of the Jewish immigrants who helped build modern Dallas, and of a community touched by the twentieth century's darkest chapter.
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Related people
- · Aaron L. Levy
- · Jacob Rosenthal
Themes & tags
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