Penzance Historic Cemetery
250 years of Cornish Jewish history
Penzance Jewish Cemetery contains within its walls, 250 years of Cornish Jewish history (last burial of a member of the historic Jewish community being in 1911) with its carefully preserved headstones, 50 of which are in almost perfect condition and a partially preserved Bet Taharah (”Cleansing House”) a very rare feature to survive in cemeteries of this period, all of which have been carefully documented by Pearce in the upcoming book as well as in a previous book, The Lost Jews of Cornwall, edited by Pearce and Helen Fry.
The lives of those Jewish families had a major impact on commercial, religious, and economic life. Its miraculous survival is due to the far-sightedness of the Jewish congregation who in 1844 bought the freehold to the whole of the present site and in 1845 began to completely enclose the cemetery having previously partially enclosed it in stages. The original site began its life as an unenclosed burial ground in the 1740s. It is these walls which now need restoration work to ensure that this now ‘closed’ burial ground is preserved.
The families who are buried here reveal a remarkable and interesting history, and many descendants of these families, now scattered throughout the UK and abroad, are becoming interested in their Cornish roots.
Who is buried here?
So, who were these people buried in this unique cemetery?
Records indicate there was a Jewish presence in Penzance from the 1740s onward (possibly earlier), many families coming from the Rhineland in Germany or from Holland. While at the height of its population in the town never reached more than 30 families, they contributed actively to economic, social and religious life. Some were merchants, peddlers, rabbis, cantors and shochets; some were store owners who distributed wine, spirits, clothing, jewellery, household goods, furniture, watches; others were scholars, pawnbrokers and coppersmiths. Many were poor but most were highly industrious, and they were actively involved in charitable work in the wider community. There were families with the surnames of Woolf, Hart, the Oppenheim, Simmons, Levin and Bischofswerder. Other family names buried here include: Levy, Selig, Jacob, Greenberg (Hillman), Ezekiel, Joseph, Moses, Zalman, Teacher, Barnet, Salzmann, and Levine.
After many decades, the most recent burial, of a beloved member of Kehillat Kernow, was in 2021.
Assisting with preservation
The Friends of Penzance Jewish Cemetery is a newly formed group dedicated to preserving and improving the historic Jewish cemetery on Leskinnick Terrace in Penzance.
Their aims include maintaining the site, promoting understanding of Jewish burial traditions, and highlighting the role of Jewish people in Cornish history. The group plans to work closely with local organisations such as the Town Council, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, and the tourist office, while also organising school visits, interfaith events, and community engagement activities.
The cemetery, cared for locally since 1998 by custodian Pearce and overseen by the Town Clerk’s Office and Penlee House, is owned by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Leslie Lipert, Treasurer of Kehillat Kernow, has been appointed to lead fundraising efforts for its restoration.
Falmouth Historic Cemetery
Switch to the historic cemetery in Falmouth, established in the eighteenth century on land granted to two religious communities by Sir Frances Basset, Lord de Dunstanville.