Sheikh Badr Cemetery
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| Details | |
|---|---|
| Established | May 31, 1948 |
| Location | Givat Ram, Jerusalem |
| Country | Israel |
| Size | 8 dunams (0.80 ha; 2.0 acres) |
Sheikh Badr Cemetery (also Givat Ram cemetery) is an 8 dunams (0.80 ha; 2.0 acres)Jewish burial ground in west-central Jerusalem, Israel. It was established as a temporary burial ground during the 1948 Arab siege of Jerusalem. Most of its military and civilian graves were transferred to Mount Herzl and Har HaMenuchot, respectively, in late 1950. The cemetery continued to accept burials up until the official opening of Har HaMenuchot in November 1951.
The cemetery lies between the Israeli Supreme Court building to the south and Sacher Park to the north, on land belonging to the former Arab village of Sheikh Badr. This village was depopulated in January 1948, during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, on the order of the Haganah.
Until 1948, Jewish burials in Jerusalem were conducted in the centuries-old Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives. In January 1948, the Arab siege of Jerusalem made the Mount of Olives inaccessible, as the route to the cemetery passed through hostile Arab villages. A new burial ground was opened next to the Sanhedria neighborhood on the northern border on March 28, 1948. However, with the outbreak of war in May 1948, the Sanhedria Cemetery lay on the front line and funerals were plagued by sniper fire. Two temporary burial grounds in central Jerusalem – Sheikh Badr Cemetery, and Shaare Zedek Cemetery behind the first Shaare Zedek Hospital – were then opened.
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Wikipedia