Several decades later, the congregation opened Mount Nebo, a much larger tract in Totowa, and stopped using the Clifton cemetery. Few people know about the Clifton cemetery because it is surrounded by homes, built in the Fifties and Sixties. B'nai Jeshurun leaders vowed to restore the cemetery, saying it had been forgotten. Knapp and a crew of about 14 people spent several days in early spring clearing the briers, trees, and garbage that had accumulated over the decades. Several months later, four city employees using rakes, shovels, and weed cutters continued the job.
City officials say they thought the property had been abandoned.
The job isn't over yet, said Alvin Sauer, a temple member. Bergen Record Corp.