Chabad of St. Charles officially inaugurated Beth Israel Gardens – the first Jewish cemetery in St. Charles County – at a ribbon-cutting and monument unveiling ceremony held this past Wednesday, the St. Louis Jewish Light reported.

The new cemetery, which has become the newest Jewish burial ground in the greater St. Louis area, was developed in collaboration with Baue Funeral Home & Cemetery. A dedicated Jewish funeral home is also planned for the site. The grounds were formally consecrated during the summer of this past year.

“This is a special day, an important day, a very meaningful milestone for the Jewish community,” said Rabbi Chaim Landa, shliach to St. Charles. “Over the last six years we’ve been here in St. Charles, it’s been such an embrace of our people and traditions – and this is a continuation of that growth.”

St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano, who joined the ribbon-cutting alongside county officials, praised the project. “I feel that it really makes a statement to the entire community that everyone is welcome,” he said.

Kacie Derby, advance planning manager at Baue, shared how the initiative came about. “We realized that while we pride ourselves on serving every family and every faith, there was a Jewish population in St. Charles County that could not have a true Jewish burial here. That led to years of hard work and an amazing partnership that made this possible.”

Rabbi Yosef Landa, head shliach to Greater St. Louis, described the moment as both emotional and historic. “This dedication is certainly a solemn and serious moment, but it’s also a joyous one,” he said. “There isn’t a Jewish community without a Jewish cemetery.”