Following yesterday’s desecration of the Mount Carmel Jewish Cemetery in Philadelphia, as well as the desecration of the Chessed Shel Emeth Cemetery a week before, the National Museum of American Jewish History (a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate located in Philadelphia) has set up a website dedicated to collecting the stories of the deceased whose graves were damaged.

The website, mtcarmelstories.tumblr.com, prompts “those who have friends or loved ones interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery to share a picture of their loved one (and/or the headstone, if available) and a personal story of up to 150 words” (the site text notes that the project is also open to those whose families were affected by the desecration that occurred at St. Louis’s Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery).

So far, the site only contains two entries, one for Kate Fischer Glass (1861-1944) and one for Bertha Grossman Reisman (1879-1948). The entry for Glass contains a startlingly strong image, one that encapsulates the importance of a project like this. After detailing some biographical information, the entry ends, “Kate Glass was laid to rest on January 25, 1944 in Mount Carmel cemetery, Philadelphia, PA. She awoke abruptly on the morning of February 26, 2017 in tears, with anti-Semitic visions unknown to her since childhood.”

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount