The Penang Jewish Cemetery Site Visit
Date: Sunday 3:30pm, 4th January, 2015.
Venue: Jewish Cemetery, Jalan Zainal Abidin, George Town
Site visit fees:
– For PHT members we collect RM10 for light refreshments.
– For relatives and friends of PHT members, it is RM20
To register, please ring us at 04-2642631 or write to info@pht.org.my.
Situated alongside Jalan Zainal Abidin – formerly Jahudi (Jewish) Road, in the heart of George Town, the Penang Jewish Cemetery is believed to be the oldest single Jewish cemetery in S.E. Asia.
The oldest Jewish tombstone is dated 9 July 1835 dedicated to a Mrs. Shoshan Levi and is believed to mark the grave of an English woman that was the benefactor who donated the land where the current cemetery stands. There are approximately 107 graves located in the cemetery, with the most recent tombstone dated 2011, the grave of the last ethnic Jew on the island. It is the only cemetery established solely for the once small and thriving Jewish community in Peninsular Malaysia.
The graves of the Levis and Cohens are located separately from the main group of graves on the north-eastern corner of the cemetery and it includes the grave of an English Lieutenant killed during WWII. The cemetery is itself managed by a board of trustees established and registered in 1885.
The site visit will be guided by Mr. Joseph Jacob.
