Beth Israel Cemetery Incorporated (BICI) warmly welcomes you to its website, designed to assist family and friends to locate and learn more about their loved ones interred in the cemeteries under its management on behalf of Congregation.
The cemeteries of Congregation Beth Israel have been the peaceful resting place for members of Congregation Beth Israel after it was established in 1881. The earliest known grave is from 1894. The current synagogue on York Street was started in 1907- destroyed in the Great Bangor Fire of 1911 and rebuilt in 1912.
Belonging to the oldest operating Synagogue in Maine, this cemetery has continually played a large role in uniting and sustaining the Jewish community in our area, including members of long-closed synagogues in Calais and Presque Isle as well as unaffiliated Jews living in eastern and northern Maine.
By way of a brief background about the Corporation, in June of 1962, seven (7) members of the Congregation, all of whom are now deceased, created Beth Israel Cemetery Incorporated. Its purpose is to “administer funds, securities, and properties of any sort, for the benefit of Congregation Beth Israel Cemetery; and it shall accept gifts, devises and bequests for the purpose of maintaining Congregation Beth Israel Cemetery, and for any other purpose pertaining to a particular gift, devise or bequest.”
Today, BICI is managed by a five (5) member board and its purpose remains unchanged.
For over sixty years, the Congregation has purchased land for its cemeteries. In addition, during that period it assumed responsibility for what is commonly referred to as “the Old Burying Ground” or the “Old Cemetery” (OC) and the cemeteries of two synagogues that are no longer in existence: Teffereth Israel (TI) and Toldos Itzchok” (TY). The first two sections of the so-called “new” sections (N2 & N3) of the Cemetery were plotted out in 1960 and an additional section (N4) was plotted out in 2018. In addition, in 2010, a new section “Yohavi Yisrael” (OY) was created for the remains of families where one member was non-Jewish, or a Jewish individual was cremated.
BICI has also accumulated almost 900 obituaries/life histories or death notices, but there are still 500 individuals about whom there is no information. If you have an old obituary or other biographical information, please let us know.
With over a century of history embedded in its grounds, the Cemetery has long ensured a secure resting place for their Congregation’s members as well as peace of mind for their families and friends. In that tradition, we trust you will find this website of value.
“You live as long as the last person who remembers you.”
