Burial plots for Sydney Jewish community secured for 100 years
July 16, 2019 by J-Wire Newsdesk
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The NSW Independent Planning Commission has directed the Sydney Western City Planning Panel (Planning Panel) to approve a development application to establish a cemetery at Varroville near Campbelltown.
Vorroville Map: Whereis
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies has been negotiating with the Catholic church for several years to secure enough land in the new cemetery to accommodate Jewish burials for another 100 years.
Isabelle Shapiro
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies acting president Isabelle Shapiro told J-wire: “This is a great outcome for our community, which has reached a critical shortage of cemetery space and was due to run out of land within five years.
We thank the Independent Planning Commission for granting the approval and acknowledge the Catholic Cemeteries Trust for agreeing to provide urgently-needed burial space to the Jewish community at an affordable price.
We also acknowledge the tireless efforts of David Knoll in working towards this result over many years and we acknowledge the involvement of the Chevra Kadisha.”
We also acknowledge the tireless efforts of David Knoll in working towards this result over many years and we acknowledge the involvement of the Chevra Kadisha.”
Alhadeff had previously told the Commission: “The NSW Jewish community faces a critical shortage of burial space in Sydney. We are due to run out of burial space within approximately five years.”
Without wishing to diminish the valiant efforts of all concerned I question the value of a burial ground so far away from the centres of Jewish population that funerals will take an extra two hours of travelling to take place. Half the mourners will get lost on the way from the Chevrah. And visiting the graves will become a once in a decade event. The Israelites in the desert moaned to Moses “Is it for want of graves in Egypt that you have brought us here? “. Perhaps one of our wealthier coreligionists could donate some land a bit closer to civilisation to enable us to die with greater ease.