Hebrew Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)


The Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, also known as Hebrew Burying Ground, dates from 1816. This Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest in the United States, was founded in 1816 as successor to the Franklin Street Burial Grounds of 1789. Among those interred here is Josephine Cohen Joel, who was well known in the early 20th century as the founder of Richmond Art Co. Within Hebrew Cemetery is a plot known as the
Soldier's Section. It contains the graves of 30 Jewish Confederate soldiers who died in or near Richmond.
It is one of only two Jewish military cemeteries outside of the State of Israel.
Located at Fourth and Hospital Streets on historic Shockoe Hill, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
The cemetery is maintained by Congregation Beth Ahabah, a Reform congregation founded in Richmond in 1789.