At last, a local burial ground for north Essex Jewry
5:50pm Monday 19th September 2011
NORTH Essex’s Jewish community will no longer have to travel to London to bury loved ones.
After years of campaigning, it has finally been given a section of Colchester Cemetery.
Deputy leader of the council, Martin Hunt, says it is “one of the best things he has done”.
The new site at the Mersea Road cemetery will provide 90 graves for Jewish people from across north Essex.
Jennifer Levy Halford, of Colchester and District Jewish Community, said members were extremely pleased.
About 50 people attended a consecration service of the new site.
She said: “It’s located in a beautiful part of the cemetery, surrounded by trees.
“It was a very happy day for all of us.
“Staff at the cemetery could not have been more helpful and special thanks must go to Mr Hunt.’’ The group was formed in 1957, when only 45 Jews lived in and around Colchester. Today, that number is thought to be more than 100.
Mr Hunt, who was dealing with negotiations when he was the councillor responsible for customers, said previously members of the group who wanted to be buried in consecrated Jewish ground had to travel to London.
He said: “I thought ‘this is silly that everyone else has a plot and they haven’t’.
“It seemed such a little thing we could do for them.
“We wanted to reserve them a space in the extension.
“But that was taking a long time, so I said: ‘Why should they wait any longer?’ “It’s nice to be able to do something that makes people happy, rather than makes them annoyed with me.
“It’s one of the best things I have done.’’