Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery

The Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. It is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in America.[1] Located at the end of Coyle Street (a small turnoff of Cohen Street)[2] in the Kayton/Frazier area of West Savannah, it is sometimes referred to as the Old Jewish Burial Ground,[3] the Jewish Cemetery Memorial,[4] the Jewish Community Cemetery[3] or the Sheftall Cemetery.[5]

This article is about the cemetery founded by Mordecai Sheftall for the Savannah Jewish community. For the cemetery founded by Levi Sheftall for the family, see Levi Sheftall Family Cemetery.
Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery
Map of Georgia, highlighting Chatham County, with a dot showing where the cemetery is located in the county.
Details
EstablishedAugust 2, 1773 (or as early as 1769)
Closedapproximately 1881
Location
Savannah, Georgia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32°04′20.07″N 81°06′12.05″W
TypeJewish
No. of gravesapproximately 84
Find a GraveMordecai Sheftall Cemetery

History

The founding date of the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery is disputed; some sources cite August 2, 1773,[3] while others claim that it was established four years prior, in 1769.[6] The cemetery was founded by Mordecai Sheftall, a leader in the Savannah Jewish community, on 1.5 acres of a 5-acre tract of land granted to him and nine other trustees by King George III to be used as a Jewish cemetery and a synagogue.[7]

The cemetery was in use until the late nineteenth century, or a little over one hundred years.[7][3] Today, it is still maintained by Mordecai Sheftall's trust. It is situated near the Levi Sheftall Family Cemetery, where much of the Sheftall, de Lyon and De La Motta families are buried.

Notable burials
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References
  1. "On Cohen Street lie two of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in North America. The family burial plots of the Levi and Shef… | Savannah chat, Cemeteries, Jewish settlers". Pinterest.
  2. "32°04'20.1"N 81°06'12.1"W". 32°04'20.1"N 81°06'12.1"W.
  3. "Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia - Find A Grave Cemetery". www.findagrave.com.
  4. "First Jewish Cemetery in Savannah, GA". www.vacationsmadeeasy.com.
  5. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/mordecai-sheftall-1735-1797
  6. https://mickveisrael.org/wp-content-uploads-sites-149-2018-08/Historical-Cemeteries.pdf
  7. https://mickveisrael.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/149/2018/08/Historical-Cemeteries.pdf
  8. "For Country and for Kashrus | Jewish Culture". Hamodia.
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