This website is dedicated to the recording, illustration, and preservation of the Kehillat Israel Synagogue and Hebrew Cemetery in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. From the late 19th century through the mid 20th century small Jewish communities emerged and thrived in the coal regions of central Pennsylvania. Jewish families left the pogroms of Eastern Europe and were drawn to the area by landsmen and the opportunities offered by the booming coal industry. These once-thriving communities are no more – dissolved not by force, but by choice and societal change. This website honors the memories of this once unique and special place and of those immigrants who created a viable and thriving Jewish Community in America.
The obituaries, photos, archives and other information shared on this website tell the story of how those immigrants and their first generation American children contributed so much to the richness of American life.
Please feel free to browse through the pages and relive a time forgotten in a place little known. Links provide pictures of the individuals, buildings, and tombstones.
THE KEHILLAT ISRAEL CEMETERY IS MANAGED AND MAINTAINED BY THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA, 3211 NORTH FRONT STREET, HARRISBURG, PA 17110. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CAN BE CONTACTED BY CALLING 717-236-9555 AND PRESSING 1 FOR THE FOUNDATION. ON WEEKENDS OR IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, CALL 571-421-5311 OR 717-525-7735 FOR PAULETTE KEIFER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FOUNDATION.
Current Board Members of the Kehillat Israel Synagogue Cemetery Association Include:
The physical address of the cemetery is:
5 Cemetery Road, Shenandoah, PA
Don’t forget to sign the guestbook before you leave – These signatures are representative of the living legacies of those interred in the Cemetery.
Credit to Elliott Winograd z”l, Jerry Malett, Janice Malett, Dorothy (Harris) Pollack, Emanuel Harris z”l, Bessie (Harris) Apple Klitzner z”l, Bill Simons (tombstone pictures), Ben Supowitz z”l, Richard Kallan, Jacob (Jake) Klitzner z”l, who was the “Champion” of the Cemetery for over 25 years, Ivy Pollack Levine, Judy Meyers, Ilene and Irwin Davison and those who have assisted with miscellaneous corrections. Comments, corrections, suggestions, and other issues may be directed to the webmaster, Ian Singer at ianpsinger@gmail.com and/or to Cindy Eisner at cindy.eisner@gmail.com
The Webmaster is also serving as a full service Jewish Genealogist. Please contact Ian Singer at 954-829-0430 or at ianpsinger@gmail.com for further information regarding your familial genealogy.
