Greenock Cemetery - Jewish Section

Over 50 people from all over Britain attended the re-dedication ceremony of the Jewish Section of Greenock Cemetery on Sunday 16 July 2023.  The area has been properly marked out and seven of the once broken and difficult to read gravestones have been beautifully restored.  In all, there are sixteen people in the burial plot and those not mentioned on the gravestones are commemorated on a plaque bearing their names.

The moving service of rededication was led by the Senior Rabbi of Scotland, Moshe Rubin of the Giffnock Newton Mearns Synagogue.  In attendance at the Cemetery were Hugh Currie, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, Drew McKenzie, Provost of Inverclyde, along with members of Inverclyde Council.  Friends and family of those buried in this section of the Cemetery as well interested members of the public also attended.

Another attendee was local author Viki McDonnell who has done extensive research into Greenock’s Jewish community.  Her book “Greenock’s Jewish Community 1880-1940” was first published 10 years ago and has recently been updated.  It contains a lot of information about the Jewish families who once called Greenock home and is a fascinating insight into the origins and occupations of those who settled in Greenock.  There is a vast amount of genealogical information and many old photographs of the various families in the book as well as an Appendix listing all births, marriages, and deaths of the local Jewish population.

The idea of having a separate section for Jewish burials in Greenock Cemetery was first put forward by Israel Isek Temianka in 1906 during his time as minister to the local Jewish population.  In 2016 a beautiful bronze bust, now housed in the Watt Institution, was gifted to Greenock by the Temianka family in memory of their father, world-famous violinist Henri Temianka (1906-1992) who had been born at 63 Rue End Street, Greenock during his father’s tenure as minister.

Bust of Henri Temianka gifted to Greenock

Over time the gravestones had fallen into disrepair and were further damaged by a severe storm in 2018.  

The Jewish Section of Greenock Cemetery before restoration

It was through the efforts of Sammy Stein of Glasgow that the money was raised for their refurbishment.  In this he had the full co-operation of Inverclyde Council's burial grounds staff.  

A booklet containing a map of Greenock Cemetery as well as interesting information about many of those buried there (including the location of the Jewish Section) can be downloaded from the Inverclyde Council website. 

“Greenock’s Jewish Community 1880-1940” by Viki McDonnell (2023 edition) is available to purchase at the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre based at Garnethill Synagogue, Glasgow.  

Visit the Scottish Jewish Archives Centre for more information about Scotland’s Jewish Heritage.