In the 1980s, when General Motors decided to build a new automobile assembly plant located on the border between Hamtramck and Detroit, they evacuated people from their homes, businesses, and churches; however, a select few were allowed to stay in the area… if they were already dead. Beth Olem Cemetery, the oldest Jewish cemetery in Michigan, is still on GM grounds to this day and most people never even knew it existed.

Beth Olem Cemetery is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Michigan.
Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook
The first burial at Beth Olem Cemetery was said to have happened around the mid-1800s. However, when the Jewish population dispersed from the area, the cemetery was eventually abandoned, damaged, and distressed.
The cemetery sits right in the heart of a General Motors car factory.
Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook
With the rise of the auto industry in Detroit, GM bought the land and moved more than 3,000 people out of the neighborhood, with an exception for the deceased.
Strict Jewish law states that moving graves is prohibited, so GM respected this tradition and built their factory around Beth Olem Cemetery.
Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook

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Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook
The small, 2.2-acre, old world cemetery looks like many other creepy, iron-gated graveyard, except it is completely surrounded by the massive automotive plant.
Visiting relatives at the cemetery is a little complicated.
Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook
Beth Olem Cemetery/Facebook
Due to plant security, people who want to visit those who have passed can only visit the cemetery at two times during the year. Beth Olem typically opens to the public on the Sundays nearest to the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Passover.

Did you know Beth Olem Cemetery existed? Do you know any other interesting facts about the oldest Jewish cemetery in Michigan? Share your stories with us!

If you’re interested in more creepy things in Michigan, you must read about these nine little-known haunted places in the state that still exist!

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