We Need Your Help
Two very large trees fell at Britton Road Cemetery earlier this year and needed to be removed by professional arborists. The work was expensive and depleted our emergency reserve. Sadly, another tree fell in December.
The cemetery needs your financial assistance.
We have identified a dead tree that needs to be removed before it falls. A single limb can damage many monuments and jeopardize the safety of visitors.
Thank you everyone who donated money toward clean-up.
There is still work to be done to remove a dead tree and minimize the risk of limbs falling during the winter.
Can we count on you?
About Us
Our Heritage
Jewish tradition emphasizes the sacred work of burying and caring for those who are laid to rest.
The volunteer-run Britton Road Cemetery Association takes pride in ensuring that our Jewish cemeteries are cared for with the love and honor that those who rest here deserve.
The cemeteries now known as the Britton Road, Stone Road & Waad Hakolel cemeteries were established in the late 1800's to serve the Jewish community. Over time additional land was purchased and developed by congregations, families, and fraternal organizations as small independent cemeteries.
The Britton Road Association was formed in 1954 to oversee the operation and maintenance of the independent cemeteries. Member organizations retained ownership of their sections and paid dues to the Association to support the cost of shared services.
Open and Active
The cemeteries are active and burial plots can purchased. Please contact us for information. By email: Admin@BrittonRoadCemetery.org or by calling 585.663.6937.
Affiliated Congregations and Organizations
The following organizations have plots in our cemeteries. By now many of the organizations have ceased operation or merged with another organization or congregation. All sections continue to be cared for by the Britton Road Cemetery Association.
Current members of the Association appear in bold type.
Agudas Achim Nusach Ari
Ain Yakov
Anshe Polen
Beth Am
Beth Chaim
Beth Hakneses Hachodosh
Beth Hamedresh Hagodel
Beth Hamedresh - Beth Israel
Beth Joseph Center
Beth Sholom
Etz Chaim
Gideon Lodge (I.O.O.F. Lodge #785)
Jewish Nat'l Worker's Alliance (Farband)
Jewish Spanish-American War Veterans
Kneses Israel
Knights of Pythias (Jay Lodge)
Light of Israel
Morris Street Shule
Rhine Street Shule
Rochester Jewish Relief Organization(R.J.R.O.)
Tiphereth Israel
Waad (Vaad) Hakolel
Workman's Circle
Help Our Cause
Cemetery operations are funded by contributions from people like you, friends and family of the loved ones who are buried in the Britton Road and Stone Road cemeteries.
Your generous support enables the Britton Road Cemetery Association will continue to care for the cemeteries with the love and honor that those who rest there deserve.
News and Resources
How to Read a Hebrew Tombstone
An introduction to understanding symbols, words, and dates found on Jewish cemetery monuments. Source: JewishGen, an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, https://www.jewishgen.org/infoFiles/tombstones.html
The Future Begins with the Past: An Archives Exhibit of Jewish Rochester
Book written by native Rochesterian Phyllis Kasdin in conjunction with the 2004 archives exhibit hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester. Phyllis spent 25 years collecting memorabilia of Jewish Rochester for the Jewish Community Center. Check online for used copies of this extensively illustrated volume. ISBN 978-0-9770986-0-6
The Jewish Community in Rochester 1843-1925
Book by Stuart E. Rosenberg. Copyright 1954, Columbia University Press, New York
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 54-6713
Rochester Jewish Oral History Project
Special collection held by the University of Rochester. http://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/3600
The Men's Clothing Industry in Rochester's History
By City Historian Blake McKelvey. http://mcls.rochester.lib.ny.us/~rochhist/v22_1960/v22i3.pdf
Jews in Small Towns: Legends and Legacies
By Howard V. Epstein. Copyright 1997, Vision Books International. Donated to the Rochester Public Library in Memory of Lillian E. Levitt. A collection of personal accounts written by Jews who live or lived in small towns throughout the United States. Several people who participated in the project lived part of their life in Rochester, NY and are buried here.
Photo Gallery
Summer 2021, Two 100+ year old trees fell at Britton Rd