A ceremony officially declaring Mount Nebo Memorial Park and Cemetery a Historic Landmark took place Sunday, Nov. 16, at the cemetery.

The Historic Landmark status was granted by unanimous vote of the Aurora City Council.

Mount Nebo Administrator Jay Siegel opened the ceremony, during which he acknowledged Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky’s leadership in obtaining landmark status for the cemetery. Jurinsky was unable to attend due to illness.

BMH-BJ Rabbi Emeritus Yaakov Chaitovsky delivered an invocation, followed by remarks from Mount Nebo Chair Richard B. Huttner, Aurora Preservation Board Chair Chris Geddes and BMH-BJ Past President H. Michael Miller.

Siegel praised the hard work of his co-administrator Sheila Abrahamsson who worked closely with City of Aurora and the Preservation Board.

Abrahamsson researched and wrote a historic synopsis of Mount Nebo which appears on a plaque to be mounted at the entrance gate along with the official Historic Landmark plaque.

The plaque reads:

“In 1898, Mount Nebo Cemetery was located outside the Town of Fletcher. At that time, Fletcher was a tiny community renamed Aurora in 1907. In June 1904, the town council declared it would welcome a Jewish cemetery with the incorporation of Mount Nebo Memorial Park.

“Although the official opening of Mount Nebo dates to 1904, in the northwestern part of the burial grounds, there are some headstones indicating interments began as early as 1897.

“From its incorporation in 1904, Mount Nebo Memorial Park as continuously served as an Orthodox Jewish cemetery. The pillar with the gates originally opened onto 11658 East Colfax Avenue.

“The original gates and pillars were moved to this location sometime between 1974 and 1976 and are still standing!

“There is a long history of partnership and cooperation between Mount Nebo Memorial Park and the City of Aurora. The undeniable roots of the cemetery in the inception of the City of Aurora, the continued use of the property as an Orthodox Jewish burial site, and the unaltered historic structures on the grounds all led to a unanimous vote by the City Council of Aurora to designate Mount Nebo Memorial Park and Cemetery a Historic Landmark on October 20, 2025.”

Siegel also acknowledged the dedication of Court Monaghan and the groundskeeper crew who strive to maintain the cemetery’s beauty year round.

© IJN 2025