By
Stephanie Brickman
Glasgow City Council has contributed £20,000 towards the restoration of the Jewish section of Sandymount cemetery, which is entering its next phase.
The project, costing a total £210,000, began in 2004 in the wake of considerable damage through repeated vandalism. Since then, 20 out of 35 rows of headstones have been restored and laid flat to make upkeep easier.
Donations have been received from all over the world, a number prompted by JC coverage of the project, which is led by London-based Glaswegian Stanley Coorsh, who has many family members buried at Sandymount.
“We’ve been amazed by the response from the community and the Glasgow Hebrew Burial Society have been very helpful,” he said. “In the end it’s about holding on to a piece of Glasgow’s Jewish heritage.”
Particularly poignant is the restoration of the children’s section in which babies and infants were buried in unmarked graves. Once the project is complete, it is hoped a children’s memorial will be established to commemorate those who cannot be identified.