The 1880s brought a new wave of Jewish immigration to Louisville from Eastern Europe, including Russia, Poland, and Lithuania (although, in Louisville, they were called, simply, "Russian Jews"). Most spoke Yiddish and practiced Orthodox Judaism. Since most of Louisville's Jewish community at the time was from Germany and practiced Reform Judaism, these "Russian Jews" began to form their own congregation in 1892. Anshei Sfard was officially incorporated in 1893. Another Orthodox congregation, Agudath Achim, was started later but, in 1971, without the membership to support its own congregation, it merged with Anshei Sfard. Anshei Sfard is Louisville's last remaining Orthodox congregation.

Four of the five Jewish cemeteries in Louisville are in what is basically a cemetery complex off Preston Highway. Traveling south from downtown on Preston, the first entry point would be The Temple Cemetery, the middle entryway leads to Keneseth Israel, and the last entry point off Preston is Adath Jeshurun. The entry to Anshei Sfard is not off Preston; it is off Locust Lane, right around the corner. (Agudath Achim is across Preston Highway from the "cemetery complex"). At the light at the corner of Preston and Locust, where Adath Jeshurun is the corner cemetery, turning right onto Locust Lane will lead to the entrance to Anshei Sfard Cemetery.

There are a couple of ways to become confused at Anshei Sfard:

1. Section 1 is actually located at the very back of Keneseth Israel Cemetery, directly behind Section E, near the fence line. It is totally separate from the rest of Anshei Sfard.

2. The line of demarcation between Anshei Sfard and Keneseth Israel is a small pathway through the grass which separates Sections C and A of Anshei Sfard from Sections K and F of Keneseth Israel. It is very easy to believe that you are in one cemetery when you are actually in the other one. Once the cemeteries spread out in Sections C and D of Keneseth Israel and the back of Section A of Anshei Sfard it is, again, very difficult to determine in which cemetery you are located. Based on its position, you may think that a grave is in one cemetery when it is actually in the other. If you do not see someone in either cemetery's listing, please check the other cemetery.

(submitted by Ellen White)