The B’nai Israel Cemetery in Eudora, a historic Jewish cemetery where some of the town’s founders are buried, will undergo restoration and preservation efforts as part of a grant.
The Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation, which is in charge of the cemetery, was awarded $28,605 from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s annual grant program.
The cemetery at 1301 East 2100 Road was founded in 1858 by settlers, and it is the “major surviving property associated with the Jewish community which flourished in Eudora from 1857-1867 before relocating to Lawrence,” according to a news release from the LJCC.
The LJCC took custody of the cemetery in 1978 “after a period of abandonment and neglect. Several upgrades have been done over the years as well as regular mowing and maintenance,” according to the release. “And now, in anticipation of residential development in the immediate vicinity, a greater urgency is felt to preserve the Cemetery as a sacred and historical site.”
Projects the grant is funding include restoration of nine of the early headstones, upgrades to the existing driveway and the additions of benches and signage, according to the release. David Katzman, KU American studies and history professor emeritus, will also lead an onsite tour this fall and help guide further research about the cemetery and the early settlers of Douglas County, according to the release.
Lara Giordano, program and engagement director for the LJCC, said via email Wednesday that B’Nai Israel is the only Jewish cemetery in the area that buries non-Jewish family members, and that it is an artifact of the once-thriving Jewish community that settled in Eudora.
Visitors may notice the cemetery’s sign reads “Beni Israel.”
“The historic name is ‘Beni Israel’ and that still refers to the halachic section of the cemetery (i.e., that section of it in which burial takes place in accordance with Jewish law),” Giordano said. B’nai Israel is the contemporary name, she said.
Anyone interested in more information about the projects can contact LJCC at 785-841-7636. Learn more about the cemetery at ljcc.shulcloud.com/cemetery.
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