Friends of Har Jehuda Cemetery

Welcome to Friends of Har Jehuda Cemetery!

We are a group of volunteers who formed in 2021, to improve conditions at the cemetery. In addition to four cleanups a year, our goal is to raise funds to support regular landscaping of the cemetery.

In 2024, we received a generous anonymous donation that enabled the complete cleanup of the cemetery. Now, in 2025, we aim to raise $100,000 to support the same landscaping efforts from April through November.

To contribute, please scroll to the bottom of this page and follow the steps on how to make a donation. Thank you!

Har Jehuda is a historic Jewish cemetery in Delaware County, the first Jewish cemetery to be built west of Philadelphia. Founded in the 1890s, Har Jehuda is a nonprofit cemetery open to Jews from all denominations and backgrounds, regardless of affiliation. The 27 acres hold more than 20,000 graves, and represent Jewish families from throughout the region.

Photo credit: Kevin S. Nash

In recent years, revenues of the cemetery have fallen short. Weeds, invasive plants, and saplings have overtaken the grounds. With financial support from a generous donor last year, our group was able to hire a local landscaping team who worked wonders, and returned the cemetery into a well tended and respectful burial ground.

Before and after photo credits: Kevin S. Nash

In partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, the Kehillah of Delaware County, and local synagogues such as Beth Israel, Adath Israel, and Beth El Ner Tamid (who all have community synagogue plots in the cemetery), and alongside families with loved ones buried here, we have learned that people of all ages are committed to the preservation of this historic site. Click here for a calendar of upcoming cleanup dates.

Photo credit: Shira Alberts (Mitzvah Day - April 23, 2023)

Cleanup September 22, 2024

Cleanup October 27, 2024 Photo credit Scott Alberts

Your support of this project will enable us to maintain this cemetery in the dignified manner that it deserves. For more information, or if you would like to join our committee, please email fhjc@googlegroups.com. We would love to have your ideas and energy!

To donate, please fill out the form below with your information and the amount you would like to contribute.

Your donation of $180 will sponsor the mowing of a row of graves.
Your donation of $1800 will sponsor the landscaping of a large section.
Your donation of $3600 will sponsor a front-to-back mowing for the entire cemetery.

We welcome donations of any size for this project!

Thank you for your support!

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Thank you for your generous gift to Friends of Har Jehuda Cemetery.

Please note: this form only accepts online payment. If you would like to donate via check, please address it to "Congregation Beth Israel, 542 S. New Middletown Rd., Media, PA 19063", with a note indicating that it is for the Friends of Har Jehuda Fund. If you have any questions, please email officemanager@bethisraelmedia.org.