The Jewish Cemeteries
There are four distinct Jewish Cemeteries at Oak Woods. Under Oak Woods management, are two sections predominately utilized by Anshe Sholom B’nai Isreal Congregation and the Congregation Rodfei Zedek. Congregation Rodfei Zedek is still an active community located nearby in Hyde Park. However, Congregation Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel is no longer located on the South Side and changed names over the years. While not on the South Side, the Congregation is located in the city of Chicago still, but in the north side neighbor of Lakeview.
Below you will find an article (click to enlarge) and advertisement from The Sentinel November 1937 marketing plots in the Oak Woods managed Jewish Section.
Along the southern end of the cemetery, lies the other two Jewish cemeteries. Congregation Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Kesser Maariv Anshe Luknik own these separate cemeteries and it is believed they have prior to city of Chicago charter, however, we have been unable to verify this in our research. According to an article in the Inter Ocean Newspaper from Feb 13,1904, the congregation purchased another lot in Oak Woods which was adjacent to the existing lot they owned, known as the Hebrew Division in the cemetery.
In recent years, these sections of the cemetery unfortunately gained negative criticism after being found to be in great neglect. The congregations are now located in the far northern suburbs, and most of it’s current members have no family buried in the cemetery-thus, it is rare that anyone visits. An Article in the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote about this neglect in 2019. When we visited the cemetery in June 2022-September 2022, the cemetery was found in great neglect once again. Thankfully, near the end of September 2022, landscapers visited the cemetery to cut down the overgrowth. In late October 2022, our team was delighted to see new signs on the fences outside the two non-Oak Woods owned Jewish sections. It appears that maintenance will now be provided by the Libman family and corporation (See photo to the right).
For those hoping to research ancestors who may have been buried in one of these sections, we encourage you to visit The JGSI Jewish Chicago Database (JJCD) Project.
The Eternal Light Monument
Within the management of Oak Woods is the “Eternal Light Section”. In 1956, a monument was erected in the Eternal Light Section of the cemetery to honor those lost in the Holocaust. A Plaque in the center of the monument reads, "In Memory of the More Than Six Million Jewish Martyrs of World War II."
Home to Generations of South Side Jews
“Louis and Adrienne Mandle grew up on Chicago's south side, they raised four children near where they grew up. Louis was a hardworking quality control chemist and Adrienne a beloved nursery school teacher. They ended up living many years in Iowa and Texas but the South Side was always a special place to them.
Louis' parents Sam and Hilda are buried near them. Hilda grew up in a silver mining town in Colorado and was active in the KAM Isaiah Israel Sisterhood. Sam was a salesman in furniture stores, a quiet man who loved bowling.”
- Mark Mandle
Mark Mandle is pictured to the left in front of the graves of his ancestors at Oak Woods Cemetery. Mark is a Board Member of the Hyde Park Historical Society
