Appeal to British Jewry for $5,000 to Care for Neglected Jewish Cemeteries

An appeal to British Jewry to provide a sum of $5,000 to take care of neglected Jewish cemeteries in localities in Great Britain which formerly had flourishing Jewish congregations but which now have no Jewish populations, has just been issued by the Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Hertz, Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, and O. E. d’Avigdor Goldsmid, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

In their appeal they state:

“There are some twenty localities in the British Isles where there were once flourishing Jewish congregations, but which have now no Jewish population. The only memorials of the existence of those congregations are the old burial grounds, which the traditional Jewish reverence for the memory of our ancestors, quite apart from other reasons, makes it essential to maintain in proper order. For many years past the Deputies have undertaken the duty of caring for these neglected cemeteries, and have done their best with the very limited funds at their disposal. The income from this source is only $40 a year, and is obviously insufficient adequately to keep all these disused cemeteries in satisfactory order. Small payments have to be made to caretakers, while repairs to tombs. walls and fences, etc., have to be carried out from time to time. The Deputies are now faced with the necessity of assuming further responsibility for cemeteries in two additional towns, and it is imperative that the fund should be augmented.”