Last modified: Monday, October 6, 2008 2:35 AM EDT Anne Fine of Rehoboth prays at the grave of her late husband Harold prior to Sunday's rededication ceremony of the city's Jewish cemetery. (Staff photo by Mike George) A community bonds over Dodgeville Hebrew Cemetery BY JOSEPH SIEGEL FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE ATTLEBORO - A memorial service and rededication of the Dodgeville Hebrew Cemetery was held Sunday on the 100th anniversary of its inception by members of Congregation Agudas Achim. The ceremony was held between the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year 5769) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The cemetery, located behind the Hillside Cemetery on Route 152, has a rich legacy, due to the presence of members of the first Jewish families who settled in the city at the end of the 19th century. The names are familiar to longtime city residents: Rotenberg, Fine and Volterra. The four-acre cemetery has 90 graves. "I love coming here," said Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, who hoped the memorial service would become an annual tradition. "It's one of the prettiest places in Attleboro." Wechterman and members of Agudas Achim read names from the Golden Book and recited prayers to pay tribute to the founders of the congregation as well as the pioneers of the city's Jewish community. Deborah Mandell, the president of the Agudas Achim, said the cemetery was a "wonderful walk through history." A tour of the cemetery was given by Lisa Berneson, the director of development of the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts. The organization maintains 101 of the 209 Jewish cemeteries in the state. Berneson explained the various symbols found on the headstones, as well as the significance of the stones placed on the tops of the graves. "Your cemetery is doing well," Berneson said. "You have a close community." Until 1844, Jews were not allowed to be buried in the state, due to the influence of the Puritans. The first Jewish cemetery is located in East Boston. What makes Jewish cemeteries unique are their location on consecrated land, with gates and hedges to serve as barriers to the outside world.