Mount Hebron Cemetery Internship Opportunity
Introduction: The Immigrants Story
Mount Hebron Cemetery is a 112 year old Jewish cemetery located in Flushing, NY. Cemetery management is interested in learning more about the history contained within the gates at Mount Hebron. The story of the Jewish people is embedded here and we want to unearth meaningful stories about them.
At the turn of the 20th century, Jewish immigration from Europe and Russia to the United States was at an all-time high. This immigration took the form of a family member, usually the patriarch, leaving his wife and children behind and using the family's savings to journey to America. Upon arrival in America, he was usually met at the dock by someone from his town or village who was already established in this country.
It was not uncommon for an apartment building in New York City to house only immigrants from a particular town or village from the "old country". As part of the dynamic of the building, a social structure emerged in the form of a landsmanshaft or society or a synagogue, sometimes formal and incorporated and sometimes just a confederation of like thinking individuals. The society provided for the social life of the inhabitants of the building, and in some cases provided other benefits, like health coverage of sorts and burial benefits. These societies purchased large tracts of land at New York cemeteries for burials of its deceased members. During its early years, Mount Hebron sold roughly 80% of its land to the local Jewish societies.
The Legacy Project: An Internship Opportunity
Cemeteries provide a space for the permanent memorialization of the existence of those people who died and now reside within its boundaries. But as the generations pass and the memories of loved ones fade and eventually disappear, there is a risk that the stories and the sacrifices of those interred may slip away and be forgotten. The history of those resting in Mount Hebron is not just a story of individuals, it is a story of a people who persevered to help create our city and in turn, our country. We want these stories to come alive and that the legacy of these individuals and their cultural history be available for the generations of today and into the future.
Goal: To find detailed, thoughtful and meaningful stories about any the 225,000 people that are buried in Mount Hebron or the societies within which they are buried. For example:
o Raphael Lemkin, buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery, coined the phrase “Genocide” during the Genocide Convention in the late 1940s. Our intern would research Raphael Lemkin, compose his story and present it so that cemetery visitors can learn about him.
o David Lipton and Phillip Morokowitz were Air Force Lieutenants killed in action during WWII and are buried on Litiner Podolier Aid Society, whose members come from the town of Litin, Ukraine, where 3,940 Jewish residents were killed by the Nazi’s in 1943 and are buried in two mass graves. Our interns could provide color to the lives of these two WWII heroes and weave in the stories of their ancestors and the struggles they faced in the town of Litin.
o Holocaust Memorials are sporadically erected in Mount Hebron Cemetery as a stark reminder of those lost in the Holocaust. These memorials tell a story that could be documented and mapped. A tour could be created to aid those who wish to visit these very moving monuments.
Deliverables
o Narratives about the individuals or groups of individuals interred at Mount Hebron Cemetery.
o Creation of materials, power-points, multimedia content to be used at our Cemetery or on our website.
o Creation of thematic tours, either guided or self-guided, using the Cemetery’s GIS mapping capabilities to allow visitors to become aware of the historic nature of our Cemetery.
Time Commitment
o The Cemetery can accommodate up to 2 students at a time. The Cemetery office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30am-3:30pm. We expect that the majority of the research would be done off site. During the information gathering process, Cemetery management is available to review work in progress and provide input.
o If interested, please be in touch with the cemetery at info@thecemeteries.com. Include a description of why you would like to partake in this project and why you would be a good fit for it. Our office is located at 130-04 Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, NY.