Bayside Cemetery Explained

Bayside Cemetery
Established:1865
Country:United States
Location:80-35 Pitkin Avenue, Ozone Park, Queens, New York City
Coordinates:40.6783°N -73.8559°W
Map Type:New York City#New York
Type:Jewish
Owner:Congregation Shaare Zedek
Size:12acres[1] [2]
Graves:35,000
Findagraveid:63927
Politicalgeo:NY/QU-buried.html

Bayside Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery at 80-35 Pitkin Avenue in Ozone Park, Queens, New York City. It covers about and has about 35,000 interments.[1] It is bordered on the east by Acacia Cemetery, on the north by Liberty Avenue, on the west by Mokom Sholom Cemetery, and on the south by Pitkin Avenue.

Bayside was established by Congregation Shaare Zedek when the latter was an Orthodox Jewish synagogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Shaare Zedek still owns Bayside Cemetery and is currently a Conservative synagogue on Manhattan's Upper West Side, about away. The cemetery is reachable via the New York City Subway's IND Fulton Street Line to the or stations.

History

Bayside was founded in 1865, making it one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in New York City that is still active. Among those buried there are military veterans from the Civil War and a victim of the sinking of the Titanic – George Rosenshine.[3]

Decline

For several decades starting in the mid-20th century, Bayside Cemetery fell into extensive disrepair, through both numerous episodes of vandalism[2] [4] and steady neglect.[5] During a portion of this time, by the 1980s, its owner Shaare Zedek was "essentially defunct," with no rabbi and irregular services.[5]

A volunteer cleanup was organized in 2003,[6] but it lasted only four days, and did not result in the sustained effort that was needed to cut and substantially remove the decades of overgrowth of trees, bushes, vines, and other vegetation. Shaare Zedek did not participate.[1]

A lawsuit was initiated in 2007 attempting to force Shaare Zedek to assume responsibility for the poor condition of Bayside, and claimed that Shaare Zedek used funds that were given for perpetual care of graves at Bayside for other purposes, such repairing the roof of the synagogue.[7] [8] In a newspaper interview, a lawyer for Shaare Zedek claimed that the synagogue was not responsible for maintaining the cemetery and that it did not own 90% of it.[1] The lawsuit was dismissed for lack of standing in 2017.[9]

Restoration

During the past several years, CAJAC, The Community Association for Jewish At-Risk Cemeteries, coordinated a major project to restore and maintain Bayside Cemetery. CAJAC was established as a non-profit organization to rescue and maintain Jewish cemeteries, and hired MC Landscaping to perform the major cleanup at Bayside. Volunteers have complemented the professional efforts.[2] The initial cleanup was set to be completed by November 2009, but took substantially longer than expected and was finished in 2012.[10] Since then, Anthony Pisciotta has volunteered his equipment, time, and skills to repair and seal many of the damaged mausoleums and reset many of the downed grave markers.[11] [12]

In 2017, Shaare Zedek entered into a real estate deal to sell its synagogue building to a developer with a plan to build condominiums and a smaller synagogue on the site,[13] and use some of the money toward restoration and upkeep of the cemetery, but as of June 2018, the cemetery has not seen any participation by the synagogue, with no allocation of money or hiring of anybody to do any of the cleanup work.[12] Shaare Zedek has even prevented Pisciotta from doing his own further cleanup work at the cemetery, for unclear reasons.[14]

Notable burials

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Wilner. Anne. Weeds Among the Graves, and Dismay Among the Survivors. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. August 15, 2008. CY6.
  2. News: Shapiro. Sorah. Reclaiming Bayside Cemetery – In the 1865 Jewish graveyard, a diverse group of volunteers fights the insults of man and nature. January 6, 2016. New York Newsday. October 11, 2003.
  3. Web site: George Rosenshine : Titanic Victim.
  4. News: Vandals In Cemeteries – Damages Estimated at $40,000 in Ozone Park. 24. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. February 19, 1951.
    News: Vandalism Is on the Increase in City's Cemeteries. 45. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. December 18, 1973.
    News: Spiegel. Irving. Suspect, 19, Arrested in Thefts Of Bronze Doors From Cemetery. B2. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. August 27, 1976.
    News: Vandals Again Desecrate Jewish Cemetery. 18. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. June 4, 1977.
    News: Vandals Topple 50 Headstones in Queens Cemetery. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. April 5, 1994.
    News: Vandals Again Hit A Jewish Cemetery. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. April 14, 1994.
    News: LeDuff. Charliie. 3 Cemeteries Are Haunted By Vandals. January 7, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. November 24, 1996.
    News: Onishi. Norimitsu. A Cemetery In Queens Hit By Vandals. January 7, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. June 9, 1997.
    News: Haberman. Clyde. An Affront To the Dead, And the Living. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. June 13, 1997.
    News: Weir. Richard. Neighborhood Report: South Ozone Park – Mausoleum Vandalism Hits Old Jewish Cemetery Again. January 7, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. March 1, 1998.
    News: Weiner. Julie. Vandals Strike Queens Cemetery. January 7, 2016. The Jewish Week. January 16, 2003.
  5. News: Wiener. Julie. The Cemetery Nobody Wants. January 7, 2016. The Jewish Week. October 17, 2002.
  6. News: O'Grady. Jim. Neighborhood Report: Ozone Park; For a Cleanup at a Jewish Cemetery, Thanks, Amid an Old Worry. January 6, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. June 8, 2003.
  7. Web site: Litigation Against Congregation Shaare Zedek. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707214707/http://site.baysidecemeterylitigation.com/uploads/Declaration_of_Leslie_Francisco-Dec_28_2008.pdf. July 7, 2011.
  8. Web site: Bayside Cemetery Litigation. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120902130236/http://site.baysidecemeterylitigation.com/About_the_Litigation.html. September 2, 2012.
  9. Web site: Lucker v Bayside Cemetery. justicia.com. Justicia – U.S. Law. October 8, 2018.
  10. News: Weiner. Julie. Bayside Cemetery Spruced Up, But Many Questions Linger. January 7, 2016. The Jewish Week. July 2, 2012.
  11. News: A Cemetery's Righteous Gentile. January 7, 2016. The Jewish Week. July 2, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190216/http://www.thejewishweek.com/features/jewish-week-qa/cemeterys-righteous-gentile. March 4, 2016.
  12. News: Feldman. Ari. Can A Catholic Guy Save This 'Hellhole' Jewish Cemetery — (And Why Hasn't Its Own Synagogue)?. June 11, 2018. Forward. June 10, 2018.
  13. Web site: Brenzel. Kathryn. Ornstein Leyton moves forward with redevelopment of historic UWS synagogue. therealdeal.com. The Real Deal – New York Real Estate News. June 11, 2018. July 6, 2017.
  14. News: Feldman. Ari. Why Was A 'Righteous Gentile' Turned Away From The Cemetery He's Trying To Save?. October 8, 2018. The Jewish Forward. July 23, 2018.
  15. News: 500 At Karlin Rites – Many Labor Leaders at Service for Attorney in Forward Hall. January 13, 2020. The New York Times. 0362-4331. December 9, 1944. 15.
  16. News: Feldman. Ari. Why Was A 'Righteous Gentile' Turned Away From The Cemetery He's Trying To Save?. July 25, 2018. The Forward. July 23, 2018.
  17. News: 42 of The Titanic's Victims Identified – Total Number of Bodies Recovered Near Scene of Disaster Reaches Seventy-seven – Relatives Off for Halifax – Brother of George D. Widener Among Those Who Start to Nova Scotia – Errors in the Lists. January 7, 2019. The New York Times. 0362-4331. April 24, 1912. 1.
  18. News: Rosenshine Left $161,033 – Brother and Partner of Titanic Victim Residuary Legatee. January 7, 2019. The New York Times. 0362-4331. May 11, 1913. 15.
  19. News: Charles Tobias Is Dead at 72; Writer of Many Popular Songs. January 13, 2020. The New York Times. 0362-4331. July 8, 1970. 43.
  20. Book: Stone. Kurt F.. The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members. Scarecrow Press. Lanham, Maryland. 978-0810857315. 112. January 7, 2016. December 29, 2010.
  21. News: Harry Wolff – Known in the Theatre Business as Harry Lorraine, Booking Agent. 17. January 10, 2016. The New York Times. 0362-4331. August 22, 1934.

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