Har HaMenuchot is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at the western edge of the city adjacent to the neighborhood of Givat Shaul, with commanding views of Mevaseret Zion to the north, Motza to the west, and Har Nof to the south. Opened in 1951 on 300 dunams of land, it has continually expanded into new sections on the northern and western slopes of the hill. As of 2008, the cemetery encompasses 580 dunams in which over 150,000 people are buried.
Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot
Aerial view of Har HaMenuchot
The names of family members killed in the Holocaust are engraved on the side of the grave of Chava Esther Wachtfogel (right), wife of Rabbi Nosson Meir Wachtfogel (grave at left).
Sanhedria Cemetery is a 27-dunam (6.67-acre) Jewish burial ground in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Jerusalem, adjacent to the intersection of Levi Eshkol Boulevard, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and Bar-Ilan Street. Unlike the Mount of Olives and Har HaMenuchot cemeteries that are located on the outer edges of the city, Sanhedria Cemetery is situated in the heart of western Jerusalem, in proximity to residential housing. It is operated under the jurisdiction of the Kehilat Yerushalayim chevra kadisha and accepts Jews from all religious communities. As of the 2000s, the cemetery is nearly filled to capacity.
Partial view of Sanhedria Cemetery, with Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood in background.
Sanhedria Funeral Parlor (right) with its large lettered Hebrew sign, "Meeting Place for All the Living".
Interior of Sanhedria Funeral Parlor.