Holy Blossom Cemetery is the first Jewish cemetery in the city of Toronto
On my walk in Leslieville in east-end Toronto, I discovered the first Jewish cemetery in Toronto originally named Pape Avenue Cemetery and later changed to Holy Blossom Cemetery.
Prior to opening in 1849, the nearest Jewish cemeteries were in Montreal and Buffalo, New York.
It was established in 1849 by two prominent local businessmen, Judah G. Joseph and Abraham Nordheimer. Abraham was a German Jewish-Canadian musician, merchant and music publisher who established Canada’s first publishing house specializing in music and Joseph was instrumental in the formation of the Hebrew Congregation of Toronto.
The small and narrow cemetery quickly ran out of room, and it was closed to new burials in the 1930s. There are over 400 people resting at this historic burial site.
The narrow cemetery is surrounded by housing on both sides of the cemetery grounds.
