Beth Olam is a remarkable, beautiful, and historic place, having recently received designation as a National Historic Site. Situated on the Brooklyn/Queens border just off the Jackie Robinson Parkway, the cemetery gates and the Shearith Israel chapel at Beth Olam were designed by Calvert Vaux (Central, Prospect, and Fort Greene Parks, as well as Jefferson Market Courthouse) and are believed to be his only religious structures. Many of the mausoleums at Beth Olam feature stained glass windows attributed to Tiffany and LaFarge and cast bronze doors, considered to be of significant historical and artistic significance. Additionally, many gravesites feature dramatic funerary sculpture evoking broken classical columns, trees, and other marvels. After some years of benign neglect, the three congregations have been working closely together to maintain and restore the property in an effort we call “common ground.” A moratorium on new cemetery land within the five boroughs has made burial options extremely rare and costly. The New York Times wrote in 2010 that costs of scarce plots in NYC cemeteries “have more than tripled in less than a decade.” A quick survey of current prices shows $12-14,000 for a single plot at Greenwood, singles at Woodlawn begin at $7,000, with family plots ranging from $65,000 to an astounding $1.5 million. Burial plots at Beth Olam are available to BJ members at a price of $7,200 each, plus the costs associated with interment. Visiting hours at the cemetery are as follows: Gates are opened six days a week; Sunday – Friday 9:00AM – 4:00PM (with no one admitted after 3:45PM)