In a bittersweet twist of fate, a woman who worked tirelessly to create Napa County’s first Jewish cemetery was among the first people to be buried in it.
Myrna Abramowicz, vice president and treasurer of the Ner Tamid Jewish Cemetery Association, put more than seven years of research, planning and advocacy work into the creation of the cemetery. She died May 11 at age 69.
Rabbi Lee Bycel of Napa’s Congregation Beth Sholom praised Abramowicz, saying the cemetery exists in large part thanks to her “leadership and lifelong vision,” and said that she very much had wanted to be at the consecration ceremony on May 26.
A funeral service for Abramowicz, also well known as a civic activist and Realtor, was held at the newly operational Ner Tamid Jewish Cemetery on May 14, less than two weeks shy of the site’s formal dedication.
Abramowicz, who died peacefully at a local care home, began working on her dream of a Napa Valley Jewish cemetery in 2006, when she joined forces with Donna Mendelsohn, co-chair of the Jewish Historical Society of Napa Valley and then-president of Congregation Beth Sholom. The pair started researching possible sites and sources of funding.
Despite Jews having lived in Napa since the Gold Rush era, a Jewish cemetery had never existed in the area.
“Normally, of course, the first thing a Jewish community does [when settling in a region] is establish a cemetery,” said Mendelsohn, who served as president of the cemetery association. “And we’ve had rabbis come into the area that have really wanted a sacred Jewish space, but it never happened.”
Historically, area families wanting to be buried in a Jewish cemetery could choose one in cities such as Vallejo,
Mill Valley, Petaluma or Colma. But more and more Mendelsohn had the sense that “many Jews in Napa Valley, particularly those involved within the wine industry, would choose to be buried in the land they helped protect over the years.”
Ner Tamid — meaning “eternal flame” in Hebrew — consists of 100 burial plots in a newly developed and landscaped section of the existing Saint Helena Cemetery, a historic public cemetery that was founded 157 years ago. There is room for some possible expansion in the future, said Mendelsohn.
“The dedication of the Ner Tamid cemetery is an important moment in the life of the Napa Jewish community,” said Bycel, who also praised Mendelsohn for her hard work and dedication.
“A Jewish cemetery allows us to bury our loved ones according to Jewish tradition — in a respectful, simple and dignified manner. At the core of Judaism is treating every human being in a just, humane and loving manner, and our treating the dead in the same way allows us to perform a mitzvah,” he added. “It reminds us of the fragility of our own lives, and the imperative to live a meaningful and sacred life.”
Bycel was one of four area rabbis involved in the multi-year planning process, joining Rabbi David White of Congregation B’nai Israel in Vallejo, Rabbi Eli Tenenbaum of Chabad Napa Valley and Rabbi Bella Bogart of Congregation Shir Shalom in Sonoma. Together, they represent the cemetery committee’s aim that the space be as inclusive as possible.
“It’s a small space, but it really is reflective of the community,” Mendelsohn said. “It’s open to Jews of all backgrounds, and also those who have no affiliation at all, or those who maybe consider themselves Jews but haven’t been involved in a long time … but being buried Jewishly is important to them or their families.
And I love that we have the backing of Conservative rabbis, Reform rabbis and Orthodox Chabad rabbis in the area.”
The cemetery’s landscape, designed by landscape architect Gretchen Stranzel McCann to be environmentally sustainable, incorporates olive trees, shaded walkways and sculptures. It comprises an entirely new section of Saint Helena Cemetery, which borders scenic hills and vineyards.
Funding for the cemetery was provided in large part by a grant from the Napa Valley Center for Jewish Culture, headed by Brad Serwin, said Mendelsohn.
Ner Tamid Jewish Cemetery consecration will take place at 11 a.m. on May 26 at Saint Helena Cemetery, 2461 Spring St., St. Helena. For more information or to RSVP, contact Donna Mendelsohn at (707) 259-5332 or [email protected].