April 29, 1844
Boston Jews Petition for First Cemetery
Region:
Greater Boston
On this day in 1844, members of Boston's first Jewish congregation petitioned city officials to set aside a corner of an East Boston cemetery for their use. When the city refused, the 40 congregants of Ohabei Shalom contributed five dollars each to purchase their own burial ground. Eight years later, they dedicated Boston's first synagogue. Located on Warren Avenue in the South End, it originally served the city's 125 Jewish families, almost all of whom hailed from German-speaking central Europe. In the late nineteenth century, large numbers of eastern European Jews immigrated to the United States; Boston was soon home to over 20,000 Jews representing a broad range of religious, cultural, and ethnic traditions.