International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

JERUSALEM: [יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim)]

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Jerusalem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

REFERENCES: (Also see book listed under Motsa)

  • Brisk, Asher Leiv. Helkat mehokek (Mount Scopus Cemetery-Jerusalem Hassidim plot) Jerusalem, 1924. 1 vol. (Hebrew). Notes: Period: 1781-1811. Index arranged by rows and names. Source: National and University Library, Jerusalem/

  • Grayevski, P. Avnei zikaron, avnei kodesh biyrushalayim (Memorial Stones, Sacred Stones in Jerusalem). Jerusalem 1928-1929, 7 parts, Hebrew. S34V4472. Notes: 1076 inscriptions from old memorial walls and stones in schools and institutions in Jerusalem and its surroundings. This book is in the library at Jerusalem and listed in Printed Books on Jewish cemeteries in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem: an annotated bibliography. The Israel Genealogical Society, Jerusalem 1997 by Mathilde Tragger.

  • Kol Kore; Me'arat hahasidim..behar hazeitim le'edat hasefaradim. (A Voice Appeal; the Hassidim Cave.., in Mount Scopus for the Sephardi community). Jerusalem: Jerusalem Council of the Sepharadic Community. 1931. (Hebrew). Notes: Period: 1756-1851. 14 tbsts only. Short biographies. Source: National and University Library, Jerusalem

CEMETERIES

Tomb of King David on Mount Zion

Har HaMenuchot New: also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery

tombstone images online. A fee charged. [April 2010]

Har HaMenuchot (Hebrew: הר המנוחות‎, "Mount of Those who are Resting" ) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground at the western edge of the city adjacent to the neighborhood of Givat Shaul overlooks Mevaseret Zion to the north, Motza to the west, and Har Nof to the south. Opened in 1951 on 300 dunams (0.12 sq mi), the size continually expanded new sections on the northern and western slopes of the hill with 2008 burials over 150,000 people.

 

Jerusalem British War Cemetery

Jerusalem War Cemetery On Mount Scopus:

While every stone lists the person's regiment, some do not provide first name. The serial number and rank can be used to get a complete record from the British Ministry of Defense. One reaches the cemetery by driving toward Hadassah Hospital. The cemetery is located on the left side of the road (the same side as the hospital) about fifty meters before reaching the hospital entrance. In use 1917-1918, the cemetery is extremely well maintained. Probably the British Consulate in Jerusalem or the Ministry of Defense in London can provide information about upkeep details. Approximate size: about 2000 acres. Most of the graves are of non-Jews. The Jewish section is located at the far left-hand corner of the cemetery with 23 Jewish graves. Location in cemetery (Rows are listed from front to back A, B, C, D, E, F. The first row starts in the middle of the cemetery. Columns are listed from left to right 1, 2, 3, and 4. The first column is at left-hand cemetery fence. Sign at entrance is in English, Hebrew and Arabic: The land on which this cemetery stands is the free gift of the people of Palestine for the perpetual resting place of those of the allied armies who fell in the War Of 1914-1918 and are honored here. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [date?]

MAMILLA CEMETERY:

Mount Herzl :

Graves are located in the non-military sections. The cemetery is open during daylight hours, daily. I translated the names and other information and converted any dates from the Hebrew calendar. Mt. Herzl also contains a large military cemetery and a museum dedicated to Theodore Herzl.

Great Leaders of the Nation Section: This is the burial place of most prime ministers and presidents of the State Of Israel and some others. Three notable exceptions were David Ben Gurion (Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev), Menahem Begin (on the Mount of Olives), and Chaim Weizmann (Rehovot.) The dates are based on the Hebrew dates and so may be off by a year. Zionist Leaders near Herzl's tomb include Jabotinsky in Great Leaders of the Nation Section. Zev Jabotinsky died in exile in the United States after being expelled from the Land of Israel by the British. He demanded to be reburied in Israel only when a sovereign Jewish government could do so. The first sovereign Jewish government was headed by Jabotinsky's arch rival David Ben Gurion, who was not one to forget a grudge just because his opponent was dead, and refused to order the reburial. When Levi Eshkol succeeded Ben Gurion, the Israeli government finally had Jabotinsky's body reinterred in Jerusalem.] Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who said, "The general rule is the more written on the tombstone, the less important the person was." [date?]

Mount of Olives :

"New Group to Protect, Restore Vandalized Mount of Olives" by Malkah Fleisher. "In the wake of serious vandalism and violence in the famous and ancient Jewish cemetery at Jerusalem's Mount of Olives, a group of leaders and activists have teamed up to protect and refurbish the heritage site and bolster it as a part of a united Jerusalem. ... Victims on the Mount of Olives include the living and the dead.  Not only have graves been desecrated, with tombstones destroyed, stolen, and defecated upon, but mourners and visitors who come to pay their respects in the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world have been the target of rock attacks by local Arab youth. ... Those who are interested in helping protect and restore the Mount of Olives are encouraged to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  [November 2010]

Jewish cemetery: tombstone images online. A fee charged. [April 2010]

[UPDATE] Vandalism at Mout of Olives Cemetery [June 2015]

Har HaZeitim (Mount of Olives): Very old. Traditional as a sacred burial ground. Asher Lev Brisk made a compilation of the cemetery sites on Mount of Olives up to year 1907. Hard copy available at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Manny Hillman, 22 Bayview Ave. Blue Point, New York 11715-1711 (516)-363-6787 has a xerox copy. [date?]

Helkat Mehokek Section: The earliest inscription dates from 1646. The inscriptions listed by Brisk cover graves from the top part of the Mount of Olives Cemetery, a part that was totally destroyed under Jordanian rule (1948-1967) to make room for the building of a hotel and a road. The destruction of the tombstones thereby makes this book the only source for some of this information. Some of the information can be found in records of the various Hevrot Kadisha in Jerusalem. The database in English and Hebrew. [June 2009]

The Israel Genealogical Society has placed an index to burials at the Mount of Olives cemetery at their web site. The source is the book, “Helkat Mehokek,” which was published in 1913. It is a bi-lingual (Hebrew-English) searchable database of when complete will be 200,000-300,000 tombstones, mostly covering the period between 1740–1906, although the earliest inscription dates from 1646. The database was originally made available at the 2004 International Conference on Jewish Genealogy on CD. Hebrew version. (The actual search function is at the very bottom of each of the pages named above. These pages start with a lengthy description of the history of the index followed by guidelines for using it. Unfortunately, this lengthy description is displayed again on the search results page. Scroll down the page to find the results.)  Source  Nu? What's New? (Avotanu.com) [June 21, 2009]

Next to old Shaare Zedeck Hospital. Old:

BURIAL SOCIETIES

Burial Societies are listed separately and indicate the cemeteries that they use as follows:
Council of Jewish Cemeteries in Jerusalem, 12 Koresh St., Jerusalem 94144. Tel: 02-6251175, 02-6257519

  • 1.   Chk Bavlim, Yas Najach (Chairman), R. Shaarei Zedeck 1, P.O.B. 6117, Jerusalem 94360. Tel: 02-625-2842, 050-217-943, home: 623-1686. Hevra Kadisha to the Iraqi Community
    • Har HaMenuhot
    • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives)
  • 2.   ChK Kurdim, Eliyahu Baruch (Chairman), Beit Yaakov 11, Jerusalem 94323. Tel: 02-623-4797, 02-663-9005, home: 02-563-9005, Giv'at Shaul, Hitahdut Ha-aydah Hakurdit - Organization of the Kurdish Community
  • 3.   ChK Maaravim, Rav Avraham Franco (Chairman), Mesillat Yesharim 1, Jerusalem 94224. Tel: 02-625-5504, 050-230-239, home: 02-641-1825
  • Har HaMenuhot:
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives):
  • 4.   ChK Sepharadim, Yehezkeel Nowama (Chairman), Rehov Havazelet 12, Jerusalem. Tel: 02-625-4371, 050-401-812. Hevra Kadisha Ahida Lsfardim Ubnei Aydot Hamizrah B'Yrushalyim (United Hevra Kadisha for the Sefardim and Eastern Communities in Jerusalem)
  • Har HaMenuhot:
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives):
  • 5.   ChK Perushim, Rav Mendel Glabstein (Chairman), Rehov Pines 15, 94701 Jerusalem. Tel: 02-538-4144, 050-205-763, 050-240-063; home 02-538-9223. No fee is charged for information, but a small donation would be appropriate. They bury mostly Ashkenazim, but also some Sephardim over the years, as well as Chassidim and Mitnagdim. Records computerized back to 1905.
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives) Very old:
  • Sheikh Bader: Old,
  • Next to old Shaare Zedeck Hosp. Old:
  • Har HaMenuhot: New, :
  • 6.   ChK Parsim, Aharon Mizrahi (Chairman), David Yellin 38, P.O.B. 6134, Jerusalem. Tel: 02-538-1278, 02-538-2721, 050-259-587. Irgun Yostsei Paras Hevra Kadisah (Organization of Persian [Iranian] Immigrants
  • Har HaMenuhot
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives):
  • 7.   ChK Kehillat, Yerushalayim, Rav Simha Meron (Chairman), Rav Hananya Shahor, (Manager), Rehov Eliachar 1, P.O.B. 562, Jerusalem. Tel: 02-625-2281, 050-742-783, 02-278-384; home: 02-586-5280
  • Har HaZeitim (Mount of Olives): Burial Society for information: Tel. 02-5384144. From the US (011-972-2-538-4144). [Hebrew and very little English]. Chevra Kaddisha database records 18 million burials on the Mount of Olives.
  • Sheikh Bader: Next to old Shaare Zedeck Hosp.:
  • Sanhedria:
  • Har HaMenuhot:
    • 8.   ChK Teimanim, Yoram Levi (Chairman), Shalom Haramati, (Manager), Rehov Haneviim 65, P.O.B. 675, 94702 Jerusalem. Tel: 02-538-3786, 052-602-773, 02-623-8851, 050-533-991; home: 022-676-6988
  • Har HaMenuhot:
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives):
  • 9.   ChK Hasidim, R. Chaim Yitzhak Cohen (Chairman), Rav Shemuel Shilitz, (Manager), Rehov Hamabit 21, P.O.B. 5079, 91050 Jerusalem. Tel: 02-534-4589, 538-2467, 050-310-889, 289-660; home: 02-500-0520
  • Har HaMenuhot:
  • Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives):
  • 10.  Local Religious Council: Rav Yitzhak Ralbag (Chairman), Rav Tommy Bock, (Manager), Rehov Havazelet 12, Jerusalem. Tel: 02-625-6811, 051-233-732, home: 02-563-0715, Giv'at Shaul
  • Additions to the above list are from the 1995/1996 phone book. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Hevra Kadisha Eretz Hayim 18 Ezra Street Jerusalem. Tel: 02-532-2666
  • 11.  ChK Kavod Hamayt 1 Joel Street Jerusalem. Tel: 02-537-0407
  • 12.  Moetzet Batei Almin Hayehudim B'Yerushalyim (Council of Jewish Cemeteries in Jerusalem) 12 Koresh Street, Jerusalem. Tel: 02-625-1175

[UPDATE] Photo: Dedication of Machal Memorial [December 2017]

“Machal” Volunteers from Abroad.
"During Israel’s War of Independence, 1948-49, more than 4,800 volunteers, including 168 Christians, came from 59 countries to Israel’s aid. Some had served as crew on the 10 American-purchased Aliyah Bet ships that brought so many Holocaust survivors through the British naval blockade of Palestine. All risked not only their lives but often their citizenships in their native countries. The volunteers, known as “Machal,” the Hebrew acronym for “Volunteers from Outside Israel,” were mostly veterans of World War II. Their contributions not only aided the war effort, but served to train a new generati on of native Israelis in the mechanics and tactics of modern warfare. As Israel declared Independence on May 14, 1948, Arab leaders announced the coming war would be a momentous massacre, a war of extinction of the Jewish People. Machalniks brought knowledge of artillery, armor, engineering, signal corps and medical corps services. They formed 95% of the Air Force flight crews. Without American, Canadian and South African volunteer pilots, Israel could not have airlifted the desperately-needed weapons it received from Czechoslovakia, nor could it have wrested control of the skies over Israel from enemy forces.“You (Machal) came when we needed you most, during those dark and uncertain days in our War of Independence. You gave us not only your experience, but your lives as well. The People of Israel and the State of Israel will never forget.” Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel” Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel.

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Parent Category: MIDDLE EAST