B’nai Israel Sons of Israel Synagogue founded 1871."A member of a wealthy family and a first cousin of future senator Judah P. Benjamin, Hyams speculated in valuable real estate throughout Natchitoches and served as the parish’s surveyor and civil engineer starting in 1837. Ten years later, Hyams donated an acre of land for a Jewish cemetery to be used by “both resident and non-resident members of the Jewish Community.” [January 2009] http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/la/natchitoches.htm
1919 Jewish population was 25 according to Alan Hirschfeld's submission from "Directory of Jewish Local Organizations in the United States" pp. 330-583 in American Jewish Year Book 5680 (September 25, 1919 to Sept. 12, 1920); Volume 21, edited by Harry Schneiderman for the American Jewish Committee.
At AJA contact form . American Jewish Archives, 3101 Clifton Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio 45220-2488. 513-221-1875 (tel); 513-221-7812 (fax). E-mail: AJA contact form is "Letter from Julien D. Saks to Malcom H. Stern" describing visits to cemeteries at Vicksburg, MI, Natchitoches, LA and Monroe, LA, including tombstone inscriptions. Houston, TX. 1960. SC-8702 and Microfilm No. 3002.
The Jewish Cemetery: The cemetery is located on the west side of the 900 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, formerly known as Lee Street. It is roughly an acre in size and is partly fenced. Along the eastern boundary is a brick wall bearing a plaque stating that it was erected in memory of Adolph Kaffie. Within the cemetery is lush foliage and numerous large trees, especially oak, cedar, and crepe myrtles. The Jewish community of Natchitoches, though never large, is nevertheless very old. Its origins date to the time of the Civil War, prior to which a few Jews had settled in the area. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a synagogue functioned at Natchitoches. Today, most Jews of Natchitoches (for several families remain) are associated with the Jewish community of Alexandria-Pineville, some 40 miles to the south. A few are also associated with the Jewish community of Shreveport, some 65 miles to the northwest. The Jewish Cemetery of Natchitoches, therefore, remains in use today, though it receives few burials anymore. (updated 1995) source: Eric J. Brock, Historic Preservation & Planning Consulting, P.O. Box 5877 Shreveport, LA 71135-5877 (318) 797-6765, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
See The Natchitoches Cemeteries: Transcriptions of Gravestones from the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries in Northwest Louisiana by Prud'homme and Christensen. New Orleans, Louisiana: Polyanthos Press, 1977.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~lanatchi/Jewish.htm has burial listings.
A trust fund set up in 1967 has ensured the upkeep of this verdant and scenic cemetery, an homage to the town’s illustrious Jewish heritage. http://www.isjl.org/history/archive/la/natchitoches.htm [January 2009]
Burial list. [January 2009]