Educational Programs -- Charitable Foundation - Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts

JCAM Charitable Foundation

Schedule a JCAM Cemetery Education Tour

Click here for a photo gallery of some "Cemeteries Are For The Living" tours and tzedekah projects.

Sunshine and Blue Skies for JCAM's 1st Mitzvah Day

The weather couldn't have been better for JCAM's first Mitzvah Day held on Sunday, May 16th at the Baker Street Cemeteries in West Roxbury. JCAM's community Genizah (book despository), located at the Pultusker Cemetery chapel, opened its doors to the public from 10 a.m to 12 noon. Visitors were welcome to bring their worn out prayer books, siddurim, talmuds and other sacred artifacts, to be buried at the next scheduled book burial. (All materials containing the Hebrew name of G-d are buried at JCAM's annual book burial in October.)

Visitors had an opportunity not only to drop off their materials, but to look through some of what others have left at the Genizah. JCAM had a variety of books and artifacts on display for anyone to take home. (Many people drop off books in perfectly good condition that do not need to be buried.) Individuals, families, and some members of Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley were among the participants.

JCAM representative and tour guide, Lisa Berenson, also explained to visitors the significance of burying sacred materials and the importance of handling these items with care and dignity. After visiting the genizah participants joined her on a "Cemeteries Are For The Living" educational tour of the Zviller Cemetery to learn the meaning of various headstone symbols, the history and significance of Jewish cemeteries, and some of the customs and traditions surrounding Jewish cemeteries.

Normally, the Genizah is locked at all times. Those interested in dropping off materials, must call the JCAM office at 617-244-6509 during normal business hours to make an appointment for a JCAM representative to meet them at the Genizah. A small tax-deductible donation of $18 per box is suggested to help defray the high cost of book burials.

Click here to read JCAM's Guidelines and Regulations for depositing sacred materials at the Genizah.

“Cemeteries Are For The Living”

Educational Cemetery Tours

Tour Group Adult Tour

"Cemeteries Are For The Living" Education Tours Booking for Fall 2010

After another impressive season of participation in our Cemeteries Are for the Living tours, we're aiming to improve our offerings for the 2010-2011 cemetery education year. This Spring, in addition to the many b'nai mitzvot children and their parents who participated in our tours, JCAM found a number of adult education groups interested in learning about the role Jewish cemeteries play in the rich history of Jewish Boston. JCAM is currently booking cemetery tours for the Fall 2010 season.

Our “Cemeteries Are For The Living” educational program continues to be a great success and cemetery education tours are fast becoming an annual activity with many synagogue and community groups. Take advantage of this unique educational experience for youth groups and adults. Education and community program directors can call on our representative to develop a program specific to your group's needs. With 25 years experience in caring, restoring and ensuring the continuity of Jewish cemeteries in Massachusetts, we are uniquely qualified to bring a new dimension into Jewish education.

For the 2010-2011 year, our Cemeteries Are for the Living tour are being organized by community:

Back To Our Roots - To see where we are today, we look back to where it began. Schedule a "Cemeteries Are for the Living" tour at the first and oldest Jewish cemetery in Massachusetts (1844), located in East Boston. The Ohabei Shalom Cemetery is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a must see. This charming cemetery is filled with unusual headstone iconography, Jewish notables, and loaded with history. There is much to learn about Jewish cemeteries here. It is also the location of the soon to come Mystic River Jewish Exhibit Hall. The chapel located on the grounds of this Jewish cemetery will be transformed into an interactive exhibit dedicated to the early immigrant Jewish communities in East Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Malden, Medford, Everett, Somerville and Winthrop! A "Cemeteries Are for the Living" tour at this cemetery will certainly be a lesson well-learned and a field-trip experience one will find hard to forget. Participating at a cemetery tour at this historic site will tie together how as Jews we came to America as a poor, displaced immigrant group and became a culturally strong community of philanthropy, education, and affluence.

Metrowest Jewish Community - We offer cemetery tours at the historic Framingham/Natick Jewish Cemetery or Beit Olam Cemetery in Wayland. Over half of our tours in 2008-2009 were from synagogues in the Metrowest area!

North Shore Communities - There is an array of historic Jewish cemeteries to visit and we are excited about bringing you more educational opportunities at the Woburn Jewish Cemeteries.

South Shore and Greater Boston Communities - Tours are offered at the Baker Street Cemetery complex in West Roxbury....40 different cemeteries, a community Genizah, mausoleums, Holocaust memorials, so much to see!

We will also have opportunities to participate in community mitzvah projects. Visit our website often for updates.

Learn about Jewish cemetery symbols and their meanings,
Why we leave visitation stones,
The origins and history of Massachusetts’ Jewish cemeteries.
Find out some of the interesting “stories behind the stones” of Boston Jewish notables.
Learn Jewish burial customs.
Learn why we bury books, Torah scrolls and other Jewish artifacts and more by touring local JCAM cemeteries in a friendly and relaxed manner.

Click here for more details on our 2010 tours, including testimonials from recent groups. (PDF file, requires Adobe Acrobat)

We feel it is important to connect Jewish young people with their past through cemetery education. We can help the next generation honor, remember, and connect to the once vibrant Jewish communities their spirited ancestors pioneered through a “Cemeteries Are For The Living” education tour.

You may want to be thinking about your calendar year ahead--tour dates fill up quickly. Call Lisa Berenson at 617-244-6509 to schedule a program time and date or use the Cemetery Education Response Form (below).

*This module is only offered in the fall and spring.

For a free copy of the pamphlet, "End of Life and Beyond: What Does Judaism Say?"
call the JCAM office and we'll mail it to you.

Cemetery Education Response Form
Yes! Please have a JCAM Charitable Foundation representative contact us with information about scheduling a presentation at our synagogue. * indicates required information.
* Contact Name:
* Synagogue Name:
* City:
* Phone Number:
Best time to call:
* E-mail Address:
* Areas of Interest:	Cemeteries are for the Living End of Life & Beyond...

There is no fee for JCAM's educational programs as we consider cemetery education an essential component of our core mission to the Jewish community. Your generous tax-deductible donation can be made to the JCAM Charitable Foundation at the time of the presentation or mailed to the address above.

The goal of the JCAM Charitable Foundation is to educate and inform all members of the Jewish community—young and not so young—to connect with their past, embrace the present, and look to the future utilizing Jewish cemetery education. Our loved ones who have gone before us can be the bridge to a broader, more meaningful understanding of our rich and unique heritage.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Books Buried According to Jewish Law

“Books should be placed in stately array near the dead, so that the souls of the righteous may in death study as they did on earth.

Judah of Regensburg Sefer Hasidim