BUSINESS
Mt. Sinai: A diamond in the desert By Mala Blomquist
12 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | ARIZONA JEWISH LIFE
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estled amid the xeriscape of northeast Phoenix sits “a diamond in the desert,” as Ira Mann, general manager, refers to Mt. Sinai Cemetery. The cemetery opened in 2005, and they are currently in the planning stages for the next 30 years. Mt. Sinai owns more than 30 acres of the land surrounding it and is now under construction to expand on the five and a half acres presently being used. In the next few weeks, the expansion will allow for the availability of 1,500 additional spaces. In the next phase, there will be 3,000 to 4,000 spaces added that will be available in a few months. Because they are a “newer” cemetery, they haven’t seen the heritage taking place – where generations are buried or planning to be buried near one another – until recently. Some of the children with parents at Mt. Sinai are starting to think of their legacy. “We have a lot under construction right now,” says Ira. “2020 was a crazy year for us between preplanning and people needing immediate services. Everything that was going on with COVID-19 opened up a lot of people’s eyes to preplanning. People that we talked to five or ten years ago, all of a sudden they’re calling up and saying, ‘You know, I think we need to get this done right now.’”
