ROCKDALE TEXAS JEWISH CEMETERY WEBPAGE

The Rockdale Jewish Cemetery is directly located behind the Old City Cemetery surrounded by a chain link fence and headstones carved in Hebrew.

To reach the cemetery from Main Street, go south past the Old City Cemetery and turn left at the first road to the left (White Street). The cemetery entrance and historical marker is on the left near the corner of Mulbury and White streets.




The Rockdale Jewish Cemetery was established by the Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1878 and contains such names as Block, Cohen, Cohn, Collins, Crown, Emsheimer, Goldsticker, Kestenbaum, Loewenstein, Malsch, Philipson, Rosenfield, and Steinburg. The cemetery currently includes 19 marked graves and two unmarked graves.

ROCKDALE JEWISH CEMETERY BULLETIN BOARD

This is a work in progress. Send me your questions, additions, or other information and I'll post them on the web for our readers.

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Joseph E. Loewenstein, M.D. (loewenstein@suddenlink.net) posted the following email:

I stumbled on you web site about the cemetery. It's very well done.

Let me correct one error. You state that "Benjamin Loewenstein died in 1934 when he was hit by an automobile while crossing the street in Rockdale. His other family members are buried in the cemetery including his wife, Carrie Malsch Loewenstein who died as a result of a fall in her home."

That was Ben Loewenstein, Jr., who died after being hit by a car. Ben Jr. was the son of Benjamin Loewenstein, who died in 1923. Ben Jr. was married to Lena Howse Loewenstein and is buried in the IOOF cemetery in Rockdale.

Thanks,

Joe Loewenstein
(Great-grandson of Joseph Loewenstein)

HISTORY OF THE ROCKDALE TEXAS JEWISH CEMETERY (1878)

The Rockdale Jewish Cemetery dates back to November 11, 1878 when the Hebrew Benevolent Association purchased 22-acres of land in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas, from the Texas Land Company for the purpose of establishing a Jewish Cemetery. The earliest burial was that of Arthur Loewenstein, age 10-months and 8-days, the second son of Benjamin and Carrie Malsch Loewenstein. Arthur was born on 30 September 1876 in Rockdale and died on 8 August 1877, 15-months prior to the purchase of the land by the Association.

Arthur's father was a prominent merchant and businessman in the community. Benjamin and his brother, Joseph opened for business in a tent on Wednesday, 24 December 1873, before the International & Great Northern Railroad reached Rockdale in January 1874.

During the 1880s after Rockdale was officially a town, The Rockdale Jewish School Community was established and served until the expansion of the public schools in Milam County.



Henry Goldsticker, a veteran of the Civil War (Lavaca Guards of Lavaca County, Texas, 24th Brigade, Texas State Troops died on August 9, 1888.








Henry Goldsticker�s son, George and niece, Hattie Philipson are also buried in the cemetery.Hattie was the daughter of Ludwig and Sarah (Levy) Philipson. Henry�s wife was Gabriella Philipson Goldsticker, sister of Ludwig Philipson.

Another burial in the Rockdale Jewish Cemetery was Isaac Crown who died in the tragic Mundine Hotel Fire in Rockdale which killed 12 people.







The Loewenstein family has a large number of the burials in the Jewish cemetery. Benjamin Loewenstein died in 1923. His other family members are buried in the cemetery including his wife, Carrie Malsch Loewenstein who died as a result of a fall in her home. Benjamin Loewenstein's son, Ben Loewenstein, Jr. died in 1934 when he was hit by an automobile while crossing the street in Rockdale. Ben Jr. was married to Lena Howse Loewenstein and is buried in the IOOF cemetery in Rockdale.




Other Loewenstein family members include Joseph E. Loewnstein, Jr., Joseph Loewenstein, and Carrie�s mother, Salomine Malsch. The last burial in the Rockdale Jewish Cemetery is that of Morris Cohn (April 30, 1939).