About Anshei Yosher Cemetery
Anshei Yosher Cemetery serves the Jewish community of Niagara as a place of dignity and respect, providing a resting place in accordance with Jewish tradition.
Located in Welland, the cemetery is dedicated to Jewish burial and maintains halachic standards.
We welcome Jews of all backgrounds and levels of affiliation.
The Story of the Cemetery
-
The Jewish Niagara Cemetery is a sacred space with a remarkable story of memory, continuity, and communal responsibility.
Its story began in 1902, when three Jewish passersby died in Welland and the local Jewish community purchased a plot of land to provide them with a proper Jewish burial. For many years, the cemetery was cared for by the Anshei Yosher community, led by Mr. Blake, and later by his son, Gordon Blake. As the Welland Jewish community dwindled and many families moved to St. Catharines, Toronto, and beyond, the Anshei Yosher synagogue eventually closed. Its vitrine was donated to a synagogue in Israel, which continued to carry the name of the Welland synagogue: Anshei Yosher. The cemetery, however, remained in Niagara, quietly preserving the memory of those early burials.
Eventually, Gordon Blake approached Jewish Niagara’s leadership to ask whether they would take responsibility for the land and ensure its future. After a four-year process, Jewish Niagara purchased the cemetery and took on the sacred responsibility of maintaining it. Soon after the purchase was finalized and the cemetery officially came under Jewish Niagara’s care, Rabbi Zalman and Perla Zaltzman’s beloved daughter, Moussia Zaltzman, A”H, tragically passed away. Her burial, so tragic and heartbreaking, marked a profound turning point in the cemetery’s story. Moussia became the first contemporary Jewish person to be laid to rest there since the early 1900s, reopening the cemetery as a sacred and active burial ground for the Niagara Jewish community.
A lively and beloved girl, Moussia was deeply cherished by the community. Her presence there brought comfort and warmth to the cemetery, transforming it into a place where community members felt connected, cared for, and at peace choosing it as a resting place for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, the cemetery has once again become an active Jewish burial ground, serving the entire Niagara Jewish community regardless of synagogue membership or affiliation. Dozens of community members have since been laid to rest there. What began as an act of kindness for three Jewish travellers has become a lasting sacred space for Jewish life, memory, and continuity in Niagara.
Current Development
We are now working to further develop and renovate the cemetery, making it more accessible, dignified, and welcoming for families.
Arrangements for Burial
We understand that this is a deeply emotional time. Our role is to take care of all arrangements with care, clarity, and compassion, so that you can focus on mourning and honouring your loved one.
Simply reach out to us, and we will guide you through every step.
Support is available for families in need.
Purchasing a Plot
For those who wish to plan ahead, plots are available at Anshei Yosher Cemetery.
Making arrangements in advance can offer clarity and peace of mind for you and your family, ensuring everything is prepared with care and in accordance with Jewish tradition.
Photo Gallery
When Welland’s Anshe Yosher Synagogue closed in the 1970s, some of its sacred furnishings were transferred to a synagogue in Nes Tziona, Israel, where they continue to serve Jewish life.
Here in Niagara, the Anshe Yosher legacy remains rooted through the Jewish cemetery, which preserves the memory of the community that built Jewish life in Welland. Together, the cemetery and these photographs tell the story of a legacy that lives on, in Niagara and in Israel.
