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South Africa SIG #SouthAfrica Cemeteries in Cape Town #southafrica

Colin Plen
 

When the first Jews came to South Africa, to the best of my knowledge, the
belief was still to design houses of prayer to face towards Jerusalem, as
they had prayed in der heim, so their houses of prayer faced East or South,
as they would have in Europe. Only later did they take into account that
Jerusalem is North >from South Africa and shuls were built accordingly
thereafter. Maybe this has something to do with the way the graves faced?

Colin Plen

I have asked this question on numerous
occasions and have not received a satisfactory
reply. Hopefully, this message will now bring the
answer for which I am looking.

All over the world the head of a Tombstone faces
Jerusalem, which means that Tombstones are one
next to the other in rows. In Pinelands cemetery in
particular, Tombstones are back to back. Therefore
not all heads of Tombstones are facing Jerusalem as is in Jewish
Tradition.

Is there a reason that Cape Town cemeteries are
different >from the norm?

Beryl Baleson
Israel.
balden@zahav.net.il
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