Beth Itzchock Cemetery

The Ashley Jewish Cemetery, aslo known as the Beth Itzchock Cemetery, is the last physical presence of the small McIntosh County Jewish farming community, once the largest Jewish settlement in North Dakota. There were around 400 Jewish settlers living on between 70 and 100 homesteads surrounding Ashley. The cemetery contains the final resting places of 21 Jewish settlers. The last burial in the cemetery occured in 1932. Today it is maintained by decendents of the original Jewish pioneers and the Ashley Jewish Cemetery Association. The name Beth Itzchock refers to a congregation and not a specific person. Beth in Hebrew means house or habitation, mostly in reference to temples as the house of God. Itzchock is an alternative spelling of Yitzhak, the Hebrew name for Isaac.

Sources:

I. "Beth." Bible Study Tools. 2017. http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/beth/

II. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Ashley Jewish Homesteaders Cemetery." United States Department of Interior: National Park Service. 2015. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/15000807.htm

III. Tilson, Jon-Jay. "Ashley Jewish Homesteaders Cemetery." Ashley Jewish Cemetery. 2017. http://www.ashleyjewishcemetery.org/