Rebecca Gratz was buried here in 1869. The daughter of one of Philadelphia's wealthiest Jewish merchants, she remained unmarried, devoting herself to assisting the city's needy women and children, especially but not only Jews.

She established the first American Jewish institutions run by women, including the first Hebrew Sunday School and Jewish Orphanage. Gratz believed that women were uniquely responsible for ensuring the preservation of Jewish life in America and worked to create an environment in which women could be fully Jewish and fully American.

Photo: American Jewish Archives.