From its earliest days, the Temple Emanuel community has been committed not only to our living members but also to honoring the memory of those who are no longer with us. In support of that commitment, our congregation created-and continues to sustain- Temple Emanuel Memorial Park, which was consecrated in 1959 as the cemetery for our kahal, our congregation.
Temple Emanuel Memorial Park
Our tradition tells us that whenever Jews gather together as a new community, their first priorities are to create a school and, then, to form a synagogue. After all, it is through education and community prayer that a kahal assures its continuity. Once the kahal has established these necessities of Jewish life, it turns its energies to establishing a cemetery, asserting the intention to carry on as a community for generations to come.
Directions
Our cemetery is in Randolph, about 20 miles from Temple Emanuel. From Newton, proceed South on Route 128 to Route 28, Exit 5A (off Route 93 North). After approximately 3 miles on 28S, turn left onto Liberty Street, continue to the end of the street and turn left onto North Street. The sign for Temple Emanuel Memorial Park in on the right.
Temple Emanuel Memorial Park is open to visitors Sunday through Friday, from dawn until dusk.
Pre-Planning
Although acquisition of family cemetery lots may seem to be a task that can be postponed indefinitely into the future, experience has shown that it is best to acquire suitable lots when there is no urgency. When life-and-death situations, medical decisions, and family issues are critical concerns, nobody wants to deal with the stress of having to purchase cemetery plots. We encourage you, therefore, to proceed with your purchase plans now, while you have the time to make decisions at a leisurely pace that allows for thoughtful decision making.
In some areas of Temple Emanuel Memorial Park, headstones are permitted, although not required. In these areas, a single headstone may serve as the marker for several graves of a family plot. In other areas, headstones are not permitted: each grave may be marked by a footstone only.
Lots are available in the following configurations: a single grave, available generally only in a specific area; a lot for two graves, generally available throughout the area; a lot for four graves; or a lot for eight graves. In rare circumstances, graves are available in lots of other configurations. Family lots of larger size can be created.
Pricing
We have endeavored over the years to make lots at Temple Emanuel Memorial Park available at a very reasonable cost to our members and other members of the Jewish community.
As of April 2024, our prices are $3,600 for members and $5,400 for non-members. Members interested in making payments over time have the opportunity to make five annual payments of $820 for a total of $4,100.
New members who purchase lots within the first year of their Temple Emanuel membership have the option, exercisable within five years of their purchase, of returning their lots to the synagogue and receiving a full refund. Of course, any lot owner may at any time return his or her unused lots to Temple Emanuel as a donation.
Please contact the synagogue office at 617-558-8100 or any member of the Cemetery Committee for further details.
Cemetery Committee
The Temple Emanuel Cemetery Committee consists of lay members of our congregation who have volunteered to take responsibility for overseeing the cemetery, including its finances and the availability of gravesites.
Day-to-day management of the grounds and burials is the duty of JCAM, The Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, a CJP constituent organization. There is always someone available to assist mourners, the mourner’s rabbi, and the funeral home on matters related to Temple Emanuel Memorial Park.
The members of the Cemetery Committee are: Howard Guthermann (chair), Doug Cahn, Jim Freiman-Polli, Jerry Gordon, Butch Pemstein, and Ken Zises.