Beth Emeth Cemetery

From time to time, questions arise as to certain policies or procedures as they pertain to our Beth Emeth Cemetery. In an attempt to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding, especially at the time of the death of a loved one, below are answers to some of the more commonly asked questions about our Beth Emeth Cemetery. Please contact Kathy Golderman for further clarification.

Who may be buried in the Beth Emeth Cemetery?

Any person of the Jewish faith may be buried in our cemetery as well as any member of their family who is not of the Jewish faith. When a non-Jew is buried in our cemetery, no non-Jewish religious icons or symbols may adorn either the casket or the gravestone and the interment service may not be of any other faith ritual. According to the by-laws of the cemetery, a Clergy of the congregation must be present at all services; or another Rabbi or Cantor with permission from the Clergy of Beth Emeth.

Provisions are made in order that any Jew who needs a proper burial is accorded this dignity. To this end, our cemetery has allocated a number of individual plots available for such social service cases when needed at our Loudonville cemetery and at our South Bethlehem cemetery, as well. It is a mitzvah that we perform as a caring congregation.

What are the rules regarding use of the Mendleson Chapel and the temple sanctuary and chapel?

    Any member of Congregation Beth Emeth at the time of their death is allowed use of the Mendleson chapel, the temple chapel or the temple sanctuary for their funeral service without any charge. If the deceased is not a   member of Beth Emeth at the time of their death, the funeral service is not permitted to take place in the temple, but it may be held in the Mendleson Chapel at a nominal charge set by the Board of Trustees.

What are the rules regarding expenses and ownership of burial lots? (lot - individual gravesite; plot - multiple lots)

If a member of Beth Emeth owns a burial lot at the cemetery and resigns their membership, there is an annual maintenance fee that will then be charged to them. If someone owns one or more cemetery lots and no longer wishes to use them, he or she may turn the lots back in to the CBE for either (a) a charitable donation or (b) reimbursement for the amount that was paid when the lot was purchased. Since burial lots are technically owned by the congregation (and leased by the purchaser), lots may not be traded, transferred or sold by the individual owners.

Are individual lots or groups of lots sold?

It is currently our policy to only sell lots on an individual basis that are paid in full at the time of purchase. Individuals may purchase clusters or groups of individual lots for family members, etc, but they must be specified and purchased at said time.

What are the rules regarding family plots?

Many "family plots" have been secured by couples in the past. When a couple purchased a "family plot", which is comprised of multiple gravesites (either 6,8, or most often 12, depending upon the section of the cemetery), at the time of the purchase the couple paid in full for the two lots that they themselves were to use (and then become "owner" of the lot) and any lots necessary if they wished to have a family headstone erected (which in a typical 12 plot grave will necessitate the use of two additional lots).

The remaining lots were then held on reserve for future purchase, by means of privilege of burial, at whatever    future time as they wished or was needed. The owners did not pay in full for all of the lots in the family grave, rather, they were put on reserve and the Temple cannot sell them to non-family members without the permission of the purchasing family.

EXAMPLE: Abraham and Sarah purchased a 12 lot family plot and want to erect a large family headstone, as well as individual markers for each grave. At the time of the purchase, they are charged the going rate only for those 4 lots necessary: one for Abraham, one for Sarah, and two for the large family stone. The remaining 8 lots were held on reserve so that at any future time individuals may purchase those lots by privilege of burial in order to be interred there. Abraham and Sarah may designate, as owners, to whom they would like to extend this privilege. But if unspecified, then after Abraham and Sarah's deaths, the Temple reserves the right to allow privilege of burial with equal access by any of their descendants. The original owners never fully purchased every lot in the site, but rather put the remaining lots on reserve. Therefore, when family members wish to utilize these lots, they must be purchased at the current rate as set by the Board of Trustees.

We take great pride in the beauty, sanctity and well-maintained condition of our Beth Emeth Cemetery. It is not only a source of great pride, but also a responsibility that we take seriously to accord the respect and dignity due our loved ones.

If you wish to learn more about our Cemetery, or would like to arrange an appointment to secure a burial site, please contact Kathy Golderman at (518) 436-9761 x225.