Category Archives: News

Jewish wild flower cemetery consecrated

Over twenty people attended the consecration ceremony at the Penmount Wildflower Cemetery section for Jewish burials in Truro on Sunday, the 15th of October.  The service was led by Life President, Harvey Kurzfield, to officially mark the site which will eventually be the final resting place for members of the Jewish community who wish to be buried there.

The area has been especially marked off and separated from the other wild flower section of this cemetery with Hawthorne bushes. A portable water facility is on hand to accommodate those who wish to wash their hands after leaving the area and a bench has been placed which will one day have the names of people who are buried there.

In addition, a special book of remembrance will be placed inside the Penmount Crematorium building with a page for each member buried at this particular site with a picture of a Jewish headstone with the appropriate words in Hebrew and English and inscriptions of choice to replicate what the deceased person’s burial plot would have looked like with a traditional tombstone.

Following the ceremony an extra service took place to bury sacred, unusable sacred books.

A High Tea at the Alverton Hotel sponsored by Kehillat Kernow took place after the services.

Many thanks to Susan Cannon, Penmount Funeral Director; Harvey Kurzfield, Rachel Brown and Leslie Lipert for organising this meaningful event.

For Gallery pictures click here.

Teshuvah for Yom Kippur

From Kol Nidrei to Neilah, our final journey of the High Holiday on 29 and 30th of September, couldn’t have been more moving or expertly conducted by our star service leaders, Adam Feldman and Harvey Kurzfield.  Highly attended by members, friends and visitors, the second half of the Days of Awe, combined song, remembrance, prayer and thoughtful moments and ended joyfully with Havdalah and a fine communal breaking of the fast.

Our hosts and caterers have become experts at treating us to proper gifilte fish as a savory reward for observing this most important of all festivals..

Some of these moments can be seen by clicking here onto our Photo Gallery.

Ponsharden Open Day Huge Success

Well over two hundred people passed through the Dissenters and Jewish Cemeteries at Ponsharden in Falmouth on Sunday, the 10th of September to learn about their historic roots and the people who are buried there.

Sponsored by The Friends of Ponsharden Cemeteries, the event was held in conjunction with the European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage and National Cemeteries Week. Restoration is currently underway led by The Friends, the Falmouth Town Council, and Historic England. An application to the Heritage Lottery Fund has been submitted to raise the necessary additional funds.

On hand to guide people through the site were Keith Pearce, local historian and authority on Cornish Jewry, Rob Nunn and Tom Weller, experts on the adjacent Dissenters’ Burial Ground, members of The Friends, and Anthony Fagin, custodian of the Jewish Cemetery. Headphones were provided which contained an audio trail to introduce people to the lives of some of those people buried there created by Ruth Mitchell and Derek Frood of the Ripple Theatre.

Of special interest, was a visit by Kathryn and Elliot Berman from Israel, to visit the graves of Kathryn’s ancestors. Kathryn is a 7th generation direct descendant of Esther Elias who died in 1780. Her burial with an unusual granite headstone is believed to be one of the oldest recorded Jewish burials in Cornwall. Also buried there are her husband, Barnet Levy, as well as some of their children and other members of that family. A special Kaddish was said for the Bermans as well as other memorial prayers.

(Photos of the event taken by Leslie Lipert and Anthony Fagin can be seen in the Photo Gallery by clicking here.)

Ponsharden Open Day

On Sunday, 10 September, from 2-4pm, there will be an Open Day at the Jewish Cemetery and Dissenters’ Burying Ground (also known as Congregationalists) at Ponsharden in Falmouth adjacent to Sainsburys Store. Keith Pearce, historian and authority on Cornish Jewish cemeteries will be on hand to discuss the background and personages buried in the Jewish cemetery and Dissenter historians, Rob Nunn and Tom Weller, will lecture about the adjacent Dissenters Burying Ground. Both cemeteries are presently undergoing restoration led by Falmouth Town Council with the help of  the Friends of Ponsharden Cemeteries. An application to the Heritage Lottery Fund is being submitted to raise the additional necessary funds. The open day is in conjunction with the European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage.  Parking available at Park and Float/Ride car park.