Not forgotten

The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation hosted a tour of the Westpark Cemetery on 17 November focusing on notable people from the Jewish community.

Johannesburgers with a sense of history came out to celebrate contributions the city’s Jewish citizens made to their city and the country.

The tour started at the Holocaust Memorial by famous local sculptor Herman Wald. The six fists of the sculpture represent the six million people killed under Hitler and they each hold the traditional Jewish ram’s horn. Stylized Hebrew lettering makes up the ‘eternal flame’ in the centre spelling out the sixth commandment, ‘thou shalt not kill.’

Each year this monument is the location of the Day of Remembrance ceremony where hundreds of Jews gather to commemorate the lives of those who perished in the holocaust. Wald and his wife, Vera, are buried a stone’s throw from the memorial.

Indeed, stones play an important role in honouring the dead in Jewish tradition as many of the graves in the cemetery proved. Instead of leaving flowers on graves as Christians do, Jews leave stones and pebbles as a physical way of connecting with their loved ones.

The cemetery also contains the remains of many other well-known figures. Dr Phil Vallentine from Wits University, instrumental in bringing the remains of Saartjie Baartman back to South Africa was buried here in 2012. Abraham Krok who opened Gold Reef City Casino and the Apartheid Museum was laid to rest at Westpark earlier this year. You can also find the graves of Cecil Stanley Margo, Helen Suzman, Philip and Taubie Kushlick, Irving Lissoos, Benny Goldberg and Ruben Sher here.

“These people made an impact in the Jewish community, Johannesburg and South Africa as a whole,” tour guide Alexander said.

“There are so many people buried here that we cannot mention them all in one tour.”

Details: JHB Heritage Foundation 011 482 3349