First Jewish cemetery in McHenry County to hold open house Sunday
The McHenry County Jewish Congregation invites the public to make history with them Sunday as they hold an open house to celebrate the consecration of the first Jewish cemetery in McHenry County.
From 12:30 to 2 p.m. Sunday, visitors of all faiths are welcome to an open house on the newly consecrated ground for a picnic of hot dogs and hamburgers while they get an opportunity to learn more about Jewish burial customs.
The cemetery is located within the existing Oakland Cemetery at 14307 Kishwaukee Valley Road in Woodstock.
It's been a two-year effort for congregation members and leaders who, faced with the small number of Jewish cemeteries in the area, decided to strike out and find a burial place that would allow loved ones a final resting place much closer to home.
The cemetery will have two sections, one for intermarried people and another solely for Jews.
"One of the first things Jewish people do after establishing a house of worship is also creating a burial place," congregation member Herb Franks said.
The next closest Jewish cemeteries are in Arlington Heights and Elgin.
Franks and his wife, Eileen, are co-founders of the Crystal Lake-based McHenry County Jewish Congregation and played an instrumental role in locating the land to be used for the cemetery and moving the process along.
The Franks decided to take up the quest back in 2006, after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and pledging funds through the Franks Family Foundation.
"The biggest problem was finding a suitable place that would be good for the Jewish community we service," Franks said.
"We went to the center of McHenry County and people there welcomed us with open arms. They couldn't have been more helpful at Oakland Cemetery. They gave us one of their prettiest plots of land up on a hill and it's as lovely as a cemetery could be. There are 300 burial places there and it's quite adequate for our needs for the next 50-100 years."
On July 13, the ground was officially sanctified in a consecration ceremony performed by Rabbi Maralee Gordon, who has been a member of the congregation for the past 23 years.
"This is not something that happens very often. Most people in their lifetime aren't involved in consecrating a cemetery," Gordon said.
For the consecration ceremony Gordon had to walk the perimeter of the cemetery seven times chanting psalms. The ceremony was held at 7:30 a.m. because all involved had to fast since sunrise.
At the end of each circle Gordon made a pledge to different charitable causes, such as vows to help the hungry and those wrongly accused of crimes. At the end of the ceremony the congregation made donations to different organizations like the Northwestern University Legal Clinic Project Center on Wrongful Convictions and local food pantries.
"It's good to have this cemetery available here for people who haven't been able to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. To finally have this in the community is a wonderful thing," Gordon said.