Dr. David Katzman, professor emeritus of American and Jewish studies at the University of Kansas, will lead a tour of Beni Israel Cemetery, the only Jewish cemetery in Eudora, Kansas.
The tour will cover the founding, near abandonment, rededication and expansion of the cemetery, as well as its interred citizens and unsolved mysteries.
Beni Israel Cemetery, established during the early years of Kansas settlement in 1858, was created by territorial settlers who relocated to the area via the German Immigrant Settlement Company of Chicago, Illinois. It is the major surviving property associated with the Eudora Jewish community, which flourished from 1857 to 1867 before relocating to Lawrence, Kansas.
Dr. Katzman is considered instrumental in the creation of KU’s Jewish Studies Program and is a professor emeritus. He is involved with the cemetery’s committee through the Lawrence Jewish Community Center (LJCC), which has custody of the cemetery.
The cemetery was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 2013 and is one of just two Jewish cemeteries dating from Kansas’ pre-statehood territorial time. Recent upgrades to improve access at the cemetery were funded by a 2024 grant from the Douglas County Historical Commission.
The tour, organized by the LJCC, is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 22, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the cemetery, located at 1301 E. 2100 Rd., Eudora, KS 66025. All in the community are welcome to attend.
The LJCC requests advance registration at tinyurl.com/3vuzuw4a.
