America’s first green Jewish cemetery incorporates three sections: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform/Renewal. This sacred section of Fernwood Cemetery was established to serve the Jewish community as a place of rest rooted in nature and guided by tradition. 

It was shaped in close partnership with five Jewish congregations across the San Francisco Bay Area, representing Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism, whose guidance and insight informed its development. In March 2010, the land was consecrated through a traditional ceremony by the founding rabbis of the cemetery.

As an environmentally attuned green cemetery that aligns with traditional Jewish burial practices, the facility does not use concrete liners at the grave sites or embalming fluid as a part of preparation. Caskets are optional and must be biodegradable, such as traditional shrouds made of organic cotton or linen. Grave markers are also optional and, if used, are natural memorials such as a specially chosen sapling tree or a simply engraved boulder. As part of Fernwood’s land restoration plan, the natural flora in the cemetery consists of native California plants that follow the seasonal cycle.