High school senior Netanel Crispe is raising funds to restore and preserve the oldest Jewish known cemetery in Vermont, though many Vermonters are completely unaware of its existence.
The East Poultney Jewish Cemetery was first purchased by the Poultney Jewish community in 1873, and the Jewish cemetery marks the burial place of Vermont’s first Jews and is a testimony to their strength, perseverance, and devotion to their faith. Sadly this historic and religious site has been forgotten by its neighbors and community with many Vermonters not knowing of its existence. The Jewish Cemetery itself houses around 83 headstones, about half of which date from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century. The conditions of the stones vary, with the worst lying broken on the ground in total disrepair, almost completely worn and so encrusted that their Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions are illegible.
“It is our responsibility to maintain and preserve the history and legacy of these great pioneers. My mission is to save, restore, and preserve Vermont’s oldest Jewish Cemetery. Through the course of this project, I plan to have the most endangered and damaged stones (which number between 25-35) reset, reinforced, repaired, and cleaned by Bowker and Sons Memorials—a 100-year-old family-owned cemetery restoration business out of West Rutland,” Crispe said on his fundraising page.
“The rest of the headstones require far less work and may be able to be cleaned by volunteers. Doing so would save money and help the process go faster. I have met with the head manager of Bowker and Sons Memorials at the Poultney Jewish Cemetery to discuss the project and gain a better sense of the cost and time required to complete the restoration in its entirety. This is the plan we formed,” he said.
To view the GoFundMe, visit gf.me/v/c/g7mb/save-vermont-oldest-jewish-cemetery.
Kudos to Netanel Crispe for his noble endeavor!
I live on the eastern side of Vermont, but would be happy to volunteer when needed, as I imagine others would as well.
Please share our contact information with Mr. Crispe if possible.
Have you contacted the Vermont Old Cemetery Association for assistance? They give grant money for restoration and have volunteers who help?
The town should be giving money for the upkeep of the cemetery each year.
Have you gone one line to Find A Grave to see if the cemetery is listed with them. I use this site for Genealogy research and it is very helpful. If it’s there it could help identify stones you can no longer read.
Also if you google VT Genealogy Library you should be able to see the list of books they have. There could be an old book about the cemetery.
Netanel,
Thank you for taking this on. Fittingly, your name means “given by God” (“natan El”) in Hebrew. In the Jewish tradition, the work you’ve undertaken is considered the most sincere expression of lovingkindness (“chesed shel emet”, the truest good deed), because there is no expectation that the departed beneficiaries can reciprocate.
Kol HaKavod (Well done!), and Happy Chanukah to you and all the frozen chosen of Vermont.
Joe Ben-David
Fairlee and New York City