Krugerdorf, a Hebrew cemetery, was founded as a farming homestead in Chamberlain Township in the early 1900s, about 25 kilometres south of Kirkland Lake.
There are more than 100 burial plots in the cemetery — including a war grave — 25km south of Kirkland Lake
CBC News ·
The cemetery is 25 km south of Kirkland Lake, one of only a few Hebrew cemeteries in the northeast. (Backroads Bill Steer)
Social Sharing
Morning North6:04Backroads Bill - Hebrew cemetery in northern Ontario
On the backroads this week, Bill Steer visited a rare Hebrew cemetery in the north. The CBC's Peter Williams talked to Bill about this rare interesting place."It is said that one of the first communal obligations is to provide for the dead. In the case of some Jewish settlers the establishment of their cemetery took on certain urgency." — "Backroads Bill" Steer
Krugerdorf, a Hebrew cemetery, was founded as a farming homestead in Chamberlain Township in the early 1900s, about 25 kilometres south of Kirkland Lake.
Not officially named Krugerdorf until 1949, the area was largely settled by a number of German families, according to CBC Sudbury columnist "Backroads Bill" Steer. The town was given the name "The German Settlement" until it became to be called Krugerdorf.
One headstone in Hebrew describes a canoeing drowning. The Hebrew reads, "Here lies Ben Tsion ben Nehemia ha-Kohen from Tiraspol, drowned in the river. Krugersdorf N[orthern] Ont[ario] 19 Sivan [18 June] and buried 1 Tammuz 5668 [30 June 1908]". (Backroads Bill Steer)
There are more than 100 burial plots in the Krugerdorf cemetery, including a war grave.
Northern Ontario Jews from other communities are buried in Krugerdorf as there are only a few dedicated Hebrew cemeteries in the northeast.
One of the graves at Krugerdorf is marked by a headstone that makes reference to service during WWII. (Backroads Bill Steer)
