Miami’s Jewish history showcased in cemetery walking tour

The illustrious history of the Jewish community in Miami was showcased through a walking tour of the City of Miami Cemetery attended recently by 40 people at Temple Israel in Miami between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Organized by the JS Boomers singles group of Temple Israel and open to the community, the event commemorated the centennial of the founding of the City of Miami Cemetery Jewish section in 1915.

“The Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is traditionally a time to visit the graves of deceased loved ones. The walking tour was even more special because we are honoring the memories of our Jewish ancestors in Miami,” said Diane King, a board member of Temple Israel and founder of the JS Boomers singles group for 50s plus in 2013.

Guiding the historical tour was Paul George, professor of history at Miami-Dade College. Through a presentation at Temple Israel prior to the walking tour, George highlighted key people and historical events that shaped the Jewish history of the city of Miami.

“The first Jewish settler in Miami was Isadore Cohen in 1896, opening a clothing store as one of 25 Jews who first came to Miami,” said George.

George went on to detail that the first Jewish community in Miami was in the Shenandoah neighborhood and that the first congregation founded was called B’nai Zion, becoming Beth David Congregation in 1912.

Temple Israel broke off from Beth David Congregation to form Miami’s first Reform congregation in 1922.

“Beth David began the City of Miami Cemetery Jewish section in which many of the historical Jewish ancestors are buried,” said George, noting that the cemetery was near the then predominant Jewish neighborhood of Shenandoah through the 1950s.

Paul also discussed the accomplishments of other Jewish pioneers of the city of Miami, such as Mitchell Wolfson, who was the founder of Wometco Enterprises in 1925 as well as being the first Jewish mayor of Miami Beach in 1943.

In 1953, Abe Aronovitz became the first and only Jewish mayor in Miami.

Other notable Jewish pioneers that George discussed included Joe Weiss who opened Joe’s Stone Crabs and Ida Cohen, who founded the Miami Jewish Home For The Aged in 1940.

“The presentation by Dr. George made me feel that I was walking through time with him,” said attorney Andy Nierenberg.

Since 1991, George teaches courses in South Florida at Miami-Dade College, is past president of the Florida Historical Society and has curated several historical exhibits at the Jewish Museum of Florida.

George has led multiple city tours for the city of Miami as well as Broward, Monroe and Palm Beach counties. In 2011, Miami News Times called George “Mr. Miami History.”

George continued to expand on the achievements of the Jewish pioneers of Miami as the group walked with him to the City of Miami Cemetery in viewing both the Jewish and non-Jewish sections.

The City of Miami Cemetery Jewish section is walled in and is distinct for having Hebrew lettering unlike the other headstones.

“The first internment was for Morris P. Sack in 1915. Most of the burials for the Jewish section occurred up through the late 1930s, with the last Jewish burial taking place in 1964,” said George.

As the Jewish community in Miami moved north of Shenandoah, other cemeteries, such as Mt. Nebo Kendall Memorial Gardens and Mt. Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery became more widely used, according to George and documented by the Jewish Museum Of Florida.

The group together recited a very moving Mourner’s Kaddish over the graves of the Jewish pioneers in Miami.

“The tour and the recital of the Mourners Kaddish was moving and touching. It is so uplifting to have Dr. George with us on our tour today,” said King following the tour.

When King founded JS Boomers, she was frustrated with the lack of opportunities for her to meet other Jewish singles in the 50s-60s group and disliked meeting others through Internet dating sites, bars or non-Jewish singles groups.

With the cooperation of Temple Israel, King was successful in creating monthly “schmear & schmooze” Sunday morning bagel brunches, Friday night dinners and services in reaching a base of more than 500 singles in South Florida.

“I had feedback from many singles who met and are dating by meeting at JS Boomer events, so we have been successful,” said King.

To learn of upcoming JS Boomers events, email or call Temple Israel, 137 NE 19th Street in Miami, at 305-573-5800.