HomeJewish burial ground
Land was first acquired for a Jewish burial ground within Belfast City Cemetery in January 1871.
It was situated near Fox Lodge on Whiterock Road and was extended in 1916, granting enough space for 116 new graves.
Design and layout
The Jewish burial ground was accessed via a separate entrance on Whiterock Road. Above the gate, which is now bricked up, you can still read the Hebrew inscription that marked this area of the cemetery. Translated, it means 'the house of life' or 'house of the living'.The area also contained a small Tahara, similar to a synagogue or chapel, which was destroyed by vandals in the 1970s.
Use the map below to view the layout of the Jewish burial ground:
First burial
The first burial in the Jewish section of the cemetery was of a stillborn child named Herschman. It took place on 2 February 1873.
In 1884, cemetery officials banned the use of headstones for those buried in the Jewish poor ground. The decision was reversed in 1929 after pressure from a local rabbi.
in 1931, a memorial stone was erected by the Belfast Chevra Kadisha (burial society), commemorating those buried in the poor ground.
Final burial
The last burial in this section of the cemetery took place on 11 June 1964. Approximately 295 people are buried in the Jewish plot in Belfast City Cemetery, including the remains of 152 children.* Images reproduced by kind permission of Tom Hartley. All intellectual property rights reserved.
The reproduction of the images is forbidden without the owner's written permission.
