SINGAPORE | Singapore | International Jewish Cemetery Project

The Jewish Cemetery, Orchard Road: This cemetery was established in 1841 or 1838. The Trustees of the Jewish Synagogue held the land on a 99-year lease. The last burial took place on 8 Dec 1903 when Sam and Christy Dimmenberg were interred there. The cemetery survived the Second World War, but in 1983, the land was repossessed for development. Mr Nathan made a complete transcript of the 160 graves in 1976 but it does not appear to have been published. Sources: Nathan, Eze. The History of the Jews of Singapore 1830-1945, Singapore 1986. In 1983, the Jewish Welfare board agreed to close the old Orchard Road cemetery as well as the cemetery on Thompson Road after the government decided to use the land for an underground railway. The government paid the expenses for the transfer of the remains to another cemetery. Source: World Guide for the Jewish Traveler by Warren Freedman, E.P. Dutton Inc, NY 1984. Extracted by Bernard Kouchel This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. March 1994.
The Jewish Cemetery, Thomson Road: This cemetery just north of Moulmein Rd, close to the Thomson Rd and Newton Rd junctions, was acquired in December 1900 and contained burials from 1904 until 1973. A list of names of people interred from 1904-11 is listed in The Jews of Singapore, p185-86. In 1985, the cemetery was being cleared for a site for the Novena station for the underground train, the MRT. Sources: Nathan, Eze. The History of the Jews of Singapore 1830-1945, Singapore 1986, Appendix: The Orchard Road Cemetery, p178-82.
Orchard Road Cemetery: see Thomson Road
Chua Chu Kang Cemetery: From 1969, this complex became the site of burials of people of all denominations. In a massive site, sections are devoted to each denomination. Access is easy by public transport. The Jewish section, on the main road and close to the bus stop, is behind locked gates. It includes some graves from the earlier sites. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains Private Henry Weinberg's grave. Source of the three above: Justin Corfield. Singapore is starting to recycle graves because of lack of cemetery space in the tiny country. According to the new policy, the remains of those from religions requiring compulsory burial - Jews, Muslims, Bahais, and Parsees - will be reburied after 15 years in plots one-eighth the size of a full grave; the remains of all other will be exhumed after 15 years and cremated. Source: World Jewish Congress' Dateline [December 1998]