KLONDIKE: | Yukon Territory YT | International Jewish Cemetery Project

Bet Chaim (House of the Living) Cemetery : The following letter to the editor appeared in The Canadian Jewish News of 27 November 1997: "Restoring the Klondike Jewish Cemetery" On a ridge overlooking the Yukon gold rush city of Dawson, lies the well-kept burial lots of the Catholic, Anglican, Mason and Young Order of Pioneers; and a sparsely wooded lot that hides the Jewish Bet Chaim (House of the Living) Cemetery. Established in 1902 by the Jewish Society of Dawson for the burial of Isaac Simons, a young prospector from New York who had drowned, the site has seven graves, but only one stone marker remains legible the one for Samuel Packer, a Dawson merchant who died in 1918. This coming summer will mark the 100th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, and Dawson City will commemorate its founding with numerous centennial events. An effort to restore the Jewish cemetery will be made. All interested parties are welcome to help, and Jewish youth are invited to join the cleanup efforts." Dr. Norman E. Kagan, 2378 Doswell Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108 By Brigitte D. Parker, Yukon News reporter. history. Source: Stanley Diamond, Montreal: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Contact: Dr. Norman E. Kagan. "On cemetery ridge overlooking Dawson City in Canada's far northwest Yukon Territories, "Beth Chaim," the resting place of some five Jews, was rededicated on August 22, 1998. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray, who is Jewish, was the keynote speaker and guests from Vancouver to Toronto joined locals to commemorate the Yukon-led cleanup of this old, nearly forgotten testament to the wandering Jews of a century ago." Source: American Jewish World, April 23, 1999
An archaeologist in Winnipeg with the Park Service did the early inventory of the Dawson City Cemetery. Apparently the cemetery is in sections based on religion. The cemetery itself, is located on the Dome, a hill just on the outskirts of the village and is never really closed. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A cleanup was scheduled between June 20 to July 4, 1998. A new archway and picket fence was erected with the names of the interred individuals inscribed on two archway pillars. In addition, the centre of the lot was cleared. Four aspen posts remain in the corner of the lot.