Bayside Cemetery in South Ozone Park, Queens, looked a lot different last December than it does today.

In the last few months, work at the historic cemetery on Pitkin Avenue has transformed the property.

The clean-up was made possible by a windfall that the cemetery's owner, Congregation Shaare Zedek, received by selling its synagogue on West 93rd Street in Manhattan to a condo developer.

Under an agreement with the New York State Attorney General's Office, $8 million was set aside to clean up, repair and pay for continued maintenance of the cemetery, which dates to 1865. About $300,000 was spent right off the bat on clearing brush and debris.

Nearly six months later, the work continues. When NY1 visited on Monday, several dozen men were spread across the site, fixing it up -- including repositioning toppled headstones.

Shaare Zedek's president says "significant progress" has been made but "there is still much work to be done," such as repairing damaged mausoleums and installing new fencing and security.

It's exactly the kind of upkeep Shaare Zedek had long been unable to afford, causing outrage among the descendants of people buried here -- and embarrassment to the congregation.

From the late 1800s through the 1950s, Shaare Zedek sold off large parts of the property to Jewish communal burial societies. But those groups dissolved over the years, ultimately making the congregation responsible again for the entire 16-acre site without the means to pay for repairs and ongoing maintenance. About 33,000 people have been buried there over 175 years. 

Anthony Pisciotta has been the cemetery’s voluntary caretaker for more than a decade.

"I applaud they are making an effort but there are things that really seriously need to be dealt with here," he says.

The Bronx resident spent his spare time doing what he could to maintain the property, despite not knowing anyone buried there.

"I am happy that maybe something I did maybe improves the situation out here."

Pisciotta says he hopes the cemetery will not be neglected again once the work is completed. The synagogue's president tells NY1, "Shaare Zedek is committed to the long-term project of making the cemetery a safe and dignified resting place."

Anyone with loved ones buried at the cemetery can contact Shaare Zedek directly for additional information.