Hebrew Cemetery: Final Resting Place of Leadville Jews

Hebrew Cemetery: Final Resting Place of Leadville Jews. . , The Hebrew Cemetery , The Hebrew Benevolent Association established the Hebrew Cemetery in January,1880, in the Southwest corner of Leadville’s Evergreen Cemetery with the transfer of 101,000 square feet from the Union Veteran’s Association. The passing of Gustave “Fred” Jelenko during June,1879 on Fremont Pass likely prompted the need for this acquisition and Jelenko was reinterred after the Cemetery was prepared. , Leadville grew as the mining industry prospered. However, production began to decline in the late 1880’s and collapsed after the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893. The Jewish population followed this course and interments at the cemetery dwindled over the following decades leading to its neglect during much of the 20th century. , Minette Miller (1894-1981) was the last “old time” Jewish Leadville native to be buried in the cemetery, alongside her parents, Minnie Betsie Miller (1868-1934) and Nathan Harris Miller (1862-1934) and brother Henry Miller (1890-1909)., Cemetery Restoration, The Temple Israel Foundation (established in 1987) acquired title to the cemetery in June, 1993 ending the long period of neglect. There are 132 graves identified from the pioneer era. About half of those are children and about half of those are infants, a sad testimony to the harsh challenges that Leadville’s early residents faced. The burial locations of 13 people have been lost, and only 59 original markers remain in the cemetery. , In 1996, B’nai B’rith Denver began sponsoring volunteer weekends to restore the cemetery by clearing decades of overgrowth, building a new fence, erecting an entryway arch, and adding stone monuments. Missing grave markers were replaced by 2004. With the re-consecration of the cemetery, new burials began in 2001.