For information on the Jewish community and congregations of Jersey, see Jersey on JCR-UK.
CEMETERY:
- Westmount Jewish Cemetery, situated at Westmount Road, Tower Road, St Helier, Jersey JE3. The cemetery is also known as the Tower Road Cemetery.
This is the oldest of the three Jewish burial gounds on the island of Jersey. The Jersey Jewish Community purchased the first section of this cemetery, which was in the Westmont Quarry, next to the "Strangers' Cemetery" (at the top of St John's Road), in 1836 and the first burial was in 1836. A later section was acquired (first burial 1888), next to the Mont à l'Abbé New Cemetery, Tower Road, and is still active. Source: David Shulman, Webmaster JCR-UK
The cemetery was not desecrated by the Germans during their occcupation during World War II.
Many of the oldest tombstones in the rear portion of the long narrow site [of the earlier section of the cemetery] are no longer legible (earliest legible 1849). [The cemetery] was enlarged towards the gate in 1873; the first burial in the new section 1888. A single row of graves face each other into a wide central gravelled path. The cemetery is enclosed withi high coursed rubble stones. Source: Jewish Heritage in England by Sharman Kadish [2006]
There are some photographs of the cemetery at https://www.jewishgen.org/jcr-uk/Community/Channel_Islands/cemetery_photos.htm
The JewishGen All-UK Database includes records relating to this cemetery (as well as the Strangers' Cemetery). Source: David Shulman, Webmaster JCR-UK [February 2016]
See also Cemetery Scribes - Westmont Jewish Cemetery, which includes images of a number of headstones. {january 2017]
The cemetery contains 77 grave plots. Most are marked, though many of the stones are so badly weathered that little can be deciphered. Fortunately documentation about them is good and much can be determined about the occupants of this cemetery. There are numerous recent burials interspersed among the historic ones – dates are from 1836 to 2015. Source: Sue Levy [August 2017]
See also Tower Road New Jewish Cemetery, Jersey.
Access Update. Weekdays only: Access to the cemetery has changed. The little walled cemetery is now surrounded by building sites, soon to be attractive high rise apartments. To obtain access to the cemetery, one must at present (mid-2017) negotiate a path through the building site. The gate is kept locked, and visitors must prearrange their visit. Source: Sue Levy [August 2017].