Cemeteries

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens….”                                                                                                                                      ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

At a time of loss and vulnerability or when pre-planning a funeral, our members have choices for themselves and their loved ones. Temple Israel offers two setting for ground burial: traditional and garden. In both settings, Temple Israel Cemeteries provide professional, perpetual care for all grounds and facilities.

Temple Israel Cemeteries are owned and managed by the Temple Israel Foundation of Columbus, Ohio. Created in 1969 as a separate legal entity from the synagogue, the Foundation helps Temple Israel offer extraordinary programming for its members.

Temple Israel Cemetery at Alum Creek & Performance Parkway

In 2000, the Temple Israel Foundation secured new space for Temple Israel members on the grounds adjacent to four other cemeteries that comprise the Columbus Jewish Cemetery Association. This location offers a familiar design with traditional gravestones and markers for individual plots.

Some families prefer to reserve “family plots,” which will accommodate burial of up to eight family members. Each family plot can be set apart from other plots with landscaping and a larger memorial stone featuring the family name, creating a distinctive setting for future generations. To encourage families to reserve space together, the Foundation offers more flexible payment terms for the purchase of family plots.

Trees to honor or memorialize loved ones are available for purchase on the cemetery grounds.

Temple Israel Section at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens

For decades, the Temple Israel Foundation has provided space for Temple Israel members in a special section at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens.

With a contemporary feel, this setting resembles a peaceful park-like garden. The view is naturally scenic, without interruption by markers and gravestones.

It is located at Taylor Station Road and East Broad Street, just east of I-270.

Other Historic Cemeteries

Generations of Temple Israel families are buried in Sections 44 and 91 of Greenlawn Cemetery. While active burials still occur in Section 91, there are no longer plots available for sale in either of these sections.

The Jews who settled Columbus were the forefathers and foremothers of Temple Israel. One of the first efforts of the Jewish community in 1846 was to seek out burial ground. By 1850, an acre of burial ground had been secured on the grounds of what-is-now Children’s Hospital. As the city zoning laws forced the moving of the cemetery outside city boundaries, the cemetery was re-located to an acre adjoining Mt. Calvary, a Catholic cemetery. We call this the Temple Israel Cemetery at Mt. Calvary. A Civil War soldier is buried on these premises. This cemetery has not seen active burials since the 1920s.

How to Purchase

Temple Israel is here to serve you at such time as you wish to seek guidance regarding purchase of burial plots. For information about Temple Israel cemeteries, please contact Temple Israel's Executive Director, Jennah Scher, (614) 866-0010 x 115.