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ground for the earliest Jew-
ish settlers in the country,
who lived in two nearby Swiss
villages, Endigen and
Lengnau, before Jews were
permitted to live anywhere
else in Switzerland.
At first, Jews weren't even
allowed to bury their dead in
Switzerland; instead, they
traveled north and used an
island on the Rhine River as
their burying ground.
But as soon as they were
permitted to bury their dead
on Swiss ground, they
established this cemetery
halfway between the two
villages.
Although the tombstones
varied in size and style, many
of them carried the same
family names. And the one
name we saw most often was
Guggenheim. The family
whose descendants later
emigrated to the United
States and became wealthy
philanthropists like Solomon

Even if a cemetery
doesn't have
dramatic context,
it can be a
concrete reminder
of the past.

Guggenheim, for whom the
Guggenheim Museum in
New York City is named, once
lived in the villages nearby.
Our visit to the cemetery
full of Guggenheim tomb-
stones turned out to be a
reminder of how far Swiss
Jews had come since the days
when they lived in the near-
by villages.
Just as burial grounds in
Europe are reminders of the
events shaping Jewish lives
in the Old World, cemeteries
in the United States are part
of the history of American
Jewish communities.
For example, in Philadel-
phia, Mikveh Israel cemetery
marked the beginning of the
second oldest congregation in
the United States.
A plaque outside the gate at
8th and Spruce Street — not
far from Independence Hall —
explains the origin of the
cemetery, which dates back to
1740 when Nathan Levy ob-
tained the deed to a plot of
land. Mr. Levy was the owner
of the ship Myrtilla which car-
ried the Liberty Bell to the
United States. When his
daughter died, he wanted con-
secrated ground in which to
bury her. So he obtained the
deed for a small plot of land,
which became the city's first
Jewish cemetery. After it was
established, Philadelphia's
colonial Jews started to pray
together informally and soon

organized themselves into a
congregation.
Though Philadelphia is my
home town, whenever I pass
Mikveh Israel cemetery, I feel
its historic import. The burial
ground is modest in size and
appearance. Beyond the gate
— which is closed to visitors
— are simple stone markers of
the colonial Jews buried here,
including Nathan Levy,
financier Haym Solomon,
Hebrew school founder Rebec-
ca Gratz and 21 Jewish
revolutionary soldiers.
Far larger than Mikveh
Israel cemetery is the Coming
Street Cemetery in Charles-
ton. This is the largest col-
onial Jewish burial ground in
the United States, establish-
ed by Beth Elohim congrega-
tion in 1764.
To find it, I walked from the
historic district to Coming
Street, a residential street in
an area where the early
Jewish residents once lived.
At No. 189, almost at the end
of the long street, a simple
marker identified the Coming
Street Cemetery. Through the
gate I saw the gravestones.
They marked the places
where many of the Jews who
helped shape Charleston's
history are buried. Revolu-
tionary War soldiers, rabbis,
officers of the Confederacy,
and Civil War soldiers — all
were laid to rest in this spot.
The most unusual Civil
War burial ground for Jewish
soldiers is in Richmond, the
one-time capital of the
Confederacy.
"Be sure to see the fence in
the Hebrew cemetery. It's
beautiful!" said the guide
who had taken us on a city
tour.
In a city well known for
its ornamental ironwork — it
is second only to New Orleans
— Hebrew Cemetery has a
fence that Richmond natives
consider to be one of the city's
most unusual.
At Fifth and Hospital, I
found the extensive cemetery,
which was open to visitors.
Right away I saw the fence, a
striking sight. Designed by
Major Wiliam Meyers, it was
intricate and ingenious. Its
rails represented the arms of
all branches of the Con-
federate service: stacked
muskets for infantry, crossed
sabers for calvary and flat
caps for artillery.
The plot of ground enclosed
by this striking iron fence is
the burial ground for 31
Jewish Civil War soldiers of
the South. A memorial stone
inside the enclosure carried
an inscription: "To the glory
of God and in memory of the
Hebrew Confederate soldiers
resting in this hallowed
spot."

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