{"nrhp_refnum":"89000753","name":"Temple Israel Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"North Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wakefield","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.50932148900006,"lon":-71.07963722799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1989-07-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 5.9-acre Jewish burial ground on North Avenue in Wakefield, Massachusetts, on the west shore of Lake Quannapowitt, begun in 1859 by Boston's Temple Israel and holding about 600 stones.","why_significant":"The cemetery is tied to Temple Israel, described as Boston's first established synagogue, and contains the grave of Rabbi Joshua Liebman, a noted author. It is laid out on an orderly grid and retains integrity of location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It is considered significant at the local level under Criterion A and Criteria Consideration D.","narrative":"Temple Israel Cemetery is a 5.9-acre Jewish burial ground on North Avenue in Wakefield, Massachusetts, beside Lake Quannapowitt. Boston's Temple Israel, the first synagogue established in that city, began the cemetery in 1859. Two other Boston congregations placed their cemeteries in Lynn and Brookline. About 600 stones remain, with death dates from 1860 to 1984. The earliest markers, near the water, are marble tablets, many with Hebrew inscriptions. Twentieth-century markers are lower and wider, often semi-circular, and usually granite or limestone. They record place of birth and often place of death, and the uniformity of size, material and message is notable. Unlike the neighboring Lakeview Cemetery, with its curving paths and rolling ground, this one is laid out on an orderly grid on flat land, planted mostly with low shrubs. Rabbi Joshua Liebman, a noted author, is buried here. The site is significant locally for its association with Temple Israel and its intact setting and design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Described as an immaculate cemetery with no leaning or fallen stones; marble stones from the 1860s-90s show acid rain damage and are becoming illegible.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.915725-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/44/7915/63791544/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/89000753.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000753/f214e75f42-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/89000753/f214e75f42-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"User:Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WakefieldMA_TempleIsraelCemetery.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">User:Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WakefieldMA_TempleIsraelCemetery.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791544","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Israel_Cemetery_(Wakefield,_Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7698600"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/temple-israel-cemetery-89000753/"}