The Jerusalem Cemetery in Irkutsk, where the Jewish cemetery is located, as its integral part, is one of the oldest and most significant Jewish cemeteries in Siberia. Founded in the 19th century, it serves as an important historical and cultural monument reflecting the rich and diverse history of the Jewish community in the region.
In October 1772, in accordance with the decree of Catherine II, which prohibited burials in the fences of city churches to prevent epidemics, a place was allocated for a city-wide cemetery on the mountain, called Jerusalem. In 1793, the cemetery was surrounded by an earthen rampart and a moat. In 1858 it was surrounded by a fence for the first time, and in 1835 the construction of the Church of the Entrance to Jerusalem was completed.
In addition to the Orthodox part, which occupied the main territory of the cemetery, there were also Catholic and Lutheran cemeteries, which arose in the late 18th - early 19th centuries, as well as an old Jewish cemetery, which operated from the 1820s until 1873. The new Jewish cemetery was opened in the late 1860s and early 1870s.
In 1932, the Irkutsk City Council decided to turn the Jerusalem cemetery into a park of culture and recreation. In the 1930s, the oldest part of the cemetery, adjacent to Parkovaya Street, was destroyed, and a parachute tower was built on this site. In 1957, the remaining burial mounds and monuments were destroyed, and the Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution was opened on the site of the cemetery.
In 2015, deputies of the Irkutsk City Duma considered a proposal from the regional public organization “Irkutsk Historical Necropolis” to reconstruct the territory of the former cemetery. The board of the Irkutsk “Necropolis” proposed installing 10-15 small architectural forms in the park, made by local sculptors, that would attract attention and be interesting. In 2015, the Chipollino children's amusement park was removed from the park. In 2016, the city commission on toponymy decided to rename the territory of the former Central Park of Culture and Recreation into the historical and memorial complex “Jerusalem Mountain”. The territory improvement project was presented to the public at the Catholic Cathedral, it was presented by the architect Oleg Badula. The concept was discussed with the active participation of representatives of religious denominations of Irkutsk. In March 2018, the majority of Irkutsk residents voted for this project as part of the “Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment” program.
The improvement of the complex was divided into three stages. The first stage included the creation of a walking area with a network of paths, installation of lighting and video surveillance. It was also planned to create a memory lane from the Jerusalem Stairs to the central entrance. In July 2017, the improvement of the staircase connecting the complex and the historical part of the city began. The builders completely renovated the staircase, laid granite tiles, repaired and equipped the fountain and observation deck. Flowerbeds were laid out around the fountain, bushes and trees were planted, benches and lanterns were installed, and the stairs were illuminated. The alley was opened in 2018, along it there are stands with information about prominent Irkutsk residents buried in the Jerusalem cemetery.
The second stage of work began in 2019. Memorial signs indicating religious denominations were placed in sections of the cemetery. It is also planned to expand the entrance area, reconstruct the main entrance and install a glass dome over it. On the territory of the memorial there will be recreation areas and walking paths that will connect the entrances along Baikalskaya Street and the central square. The third and final stage involves a complete reconstruction of the complex's fence. Work on the site is being carried out under the supervision of archaeologists.
Many famous Jews of Irkutsk - doctors, merchants, bankers, lawyers, engineers - were buried in the Jewish part of the Jerusalem cemetery. But, unfortunately, during the barbaric destruction of the cemetery in the 30-50s of the last century, their graves were lost.
Currently, Jewish residents of Irkutsk are buried in general city cemeteries, without division into confessions.