Dear Bob, Thank you for telling us about this good deed. May God bless these good hearted "angels". Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: <Gartzr@aol.com> To: <WIMILWAU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 5:33 AM Subject: [WiMilwau] Today's- Newspaper Article > Happy Holiday All, > An article appears in today's Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal, Monday, > September 3, 2001. It might be of interest to some for I have seen questions > posted about this cemetery on this message board. And I know just how big a > job they are taking on as we, when I was a pastor in Wisconsin Dells in the > early 1960s, found a cemetery in like disrepair. We spent a month working > part-time cleaning it up for it was completely overgrown. When finished we > had three piles of shrubbery and trees each almost as big as a small house. > With the help of the local fire department, many of whom were members with us > of the Kiwanis Club who undertook this labor of love, we had three very, very > large bonfires on neighboring property with the "O.K." of the farmer who > owned the land. We found a stone honoring a veteran of the Revolutionary War > in that cemetery so that the U.S. Government now takes care of the entire > cemetery. > > Today article in the Metro Section on pages 1, continued on 3" > > Jewish brotherhood undertakes labor of peace - Group cleans up church > cemetery left in disrepair. By Marie Rohde of the Journal Sentinel staff. > River Hills - Brad Michel; is a businessman who like most of his neighbors > hires a yards service to care for his 5-acre lot. > But this summer, Michel and friends from his synagogue grabbed weed > trimmers and even a scythe to clean up the abandoned church cemetery. > 'So why should a bunch of Jewish guys care about a German Christian > cemetery?" Michel asked. 'Seeing it made me think about a biblical passage > that says we're supposed to care for the deceased even if they are not of our > religion. That's the way of peace.' > Michel, a member of Congregation Emanu-el B'ne Jeshurun, had recently > joined the synagogue's brotherhood, a men's group that undertakes civic > projects as well as those that serve the synagogue. > The cemetery of St. Peter's German Evangelical Lutheran Churcdh, near > where the Milwaukee River crosses into Ozaukee County, dates back to the > mid-1800's and is the resting place of immigrant farmers. > The church is long gone. Yet, the question of who is responsible for > cemetery upkeep remains in dispute. > The brotherhood, at least for this summer, took up the cause. > Michel lives about six blocks from the pioneer cemetery. After > reading a newspaper story about the cemetery upkeep, he went for a drive > looking for the orphaned graveyard in the 9500 block of Upper River Road. > 'I couldn't find it at first because it was so overgrown,' Michael > says. > Wading onto the burial grounds, Michel found overturned tombstones > amid the weeds. > Ed Sternberg, the president of the brotherhood, agreed that cleaning > the cemetery would be a mitzvah, a good deed. He found a scythe and was one > of the first to cut into the field of weeds. > 'Our primary purpose is to aid the synagogue,' Sternberg said. 'But > we very much see the synagogue as a part of the broader community.' > Why not hire someone to do the work? > 'Getting your hands dirty is good for the soul,' said Michel. > Michel also had contacted a headstone company in hopes he can persuade > them to right markers that have fallen. The brotherhood is also considering > raising money to buy some sort of permanent marker for the cemetery, > something to commemorate of piece of forgotten history. > St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 8080 N. 47th St., Brown Deer, > inherited the pioneer church and its parsonage but apparently not the > cemetery. > The congregation had maintained the cemetery for a number of years but > no longer has enough volunteers to continue the work. Then, for a time, a > descendant tended the graves but had to give it up a few years ago because of > his health. Earlier this year, Buckley Tree Service of Waukesha had cleared > some fallen trees. The brotherhood was left to clear waist-high weeds, a job > that took some care because of the dozens of tombstones. There are 53 known > graves, the last burial dating to the 1940s. > Communities around the state are concerned that an increasing number > of cemeteries have been abandoned. State law requires municipalities to pay > for the upkeep of cemeteries. A number of municipalities are supporting > proposed legislation that would provide state funding for such care." > > There is an accompanying picture of Mr. Michel and his 13 yr. old son, > Danny, and a Mr. Brazner at work in the cemetery. > Haven't checked this out but in the past found articles by going to > www.jsonline.com/news > if you are interested. > > > ============================== > Visit Ancestry.com for a FREE 14-Day Trial and enjoy access to the #1 > Source for Family History Online. Go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/subscribe/subscribetrial1y.asp?sourcecode=F11HB > >