Liberal Jewish Cemetery, Willesden

The Liberal Jewish Cemetery, Willesden, is a cemetery for Jews in Pound Lane, Willesden, in the London Borough of Brent. It is adjacent to Willesden United Synagogue Cemetery. Established in 1911 by the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, it opened in 1914 and was originally known as the Liberal Jewish and Belsize Square Cemetery.[2] Several notable British Jews, including members of the Sassoon family, are buried at the cemetery, which also has a Grade II listed war memorial.[3]

For the Orthodox (United Synagogue) Jewish Cemetery, see Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

Liberal Jewish Cemetery, Willesden
Details
Established1911
Location
off Pound Lane, Willesden, London NW10 2HG (London Borough of Brent)
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°32′35″N 0°14′16″W
TypeJewish
StyleQueen Anne Revival architecture
Owned byLiberal Jewish Synagogue
Size4 acres[1]
WebsiteLiberal Jewish Synagogue: Cemetery
Find a GraveLiberal Jewish Cemetery

Prayer hall and war memorial

The cemetery's prayer hall, in Queen Anne Revival architectural style, was designed by Ernest Joseph and erected in the 1920s; it was extended in 1963.[1] Directly opposite the prayer hall is a Grade II listed war memorial, commemorating 22 people who died in the First World War. Historic England describe it as "one of very few freestanding First World War memorials which specifically commemorate Jewish service personnel". A plaque was added later to commemorate those who died in the Second World War.[3]

Notable burials

Notable people buried at the cemetery include:

ImageNameDatesDescriptionNotesRefGrave
Sir Louis Baron, 1st Baronet1876–1934Tobacco and cigarette manufacturerHe was the managing director of the Carreras Tobacco Company.[4]
Bernard Delfont, Baron Delfont1909–1994Theatre impresario[5]
Benno Elkan1877–1960SculptorElkan created the first statue in Britain of Sir Walter Raleigh, and designed Frankfurt’s Great War Memorial, incorporating mourning mothers as a symbol of loss in World War I; it was removed by the Nazis in 1933 and re-erected in 1946. His work also includes the Knesset Menorah in Jerusalem.[1]
Arnold Goodman, Baron Goodman1913–1995LawyerGoodman was Chairman of the Arts Council.[5]
Lew Grade, Baron Grade1906–1998TV and film producerElder brother of Bernard Delfont[5]
Leslie Grade1916–1979Theatrical agentYounger brother of Bernard Delfont and Lew Grade[5]
Otto Metzger1885–1961Engineer and inventorMetzger, who grew up in Nuremberg, Germany, was an engineer and inventor of an impact-extrusion process for forming seamless zinc and brass cans. He and his wife Sophie Metzger (née Josephthal) (1894–1998) are commemorated in the cemetery by adjacent rose bushes.[6][7][8]
Sir Albert Sassoon, 1st Baronet1818–1896Businessman and philanthropistHe ran the family firm, which was originally based in Bombay, India and became known as David Sassoon & Co. Sassoon was originally buried in the Sassoon Mausoleum which he had built in Brighton, but in 1933 his body was removed and reburied at this cemetery.[9][10][11]
Sir Edward Sassoon, 2nd Baronet1856–1912Businessman and politicianHe was the eldest son of Sir Albert. A Liberal Unionist Party MP, Sassoon was also active in Jewish community affairs, serving as a vice-president of Jews' College, London and the Anglo-Jewish Association.[12]
Sir Isaac Shoenberg1880–1963Electronics engineer and inventorBorn in Pinsk, Imperial Russia (now in Belarus), Shoenberg is best known for his role in inventing the system used by the BBC in London in 1936 for the world's first public high-definition TV broadcast.[13]
Sir Andrew Shonfield1917–1981EconomistBest known for writing Modern Capitalism (1966), a book that documented the rise of long-term planning in postwar Europe. From 1972 to 1977 he was Director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, usually known as Chatham House.[14][15]
Conchita Supervía1895–1936Spanish opera divaSupervía was a highly popular Spanish mezzo-soprano singer who appeared in opera in Europe and America and also gave recitals. Her tombstone was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The grave, which had fallen into disrepair, was refurbished by a group of admirers and re-consecrated in October 2006.[5] [16][17][18]
Israel Zangwill1864–1926Author and cultural ZionistAt the forefront of cultural Zionism during the 19th century, and a close associate of Theodor Herzl, Zangwill later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and became the prime thinker behind the territorial movement..[19]

War graves

The cemetery contains the Commonwealth war graves of a World War I Royal Flying Corps officer and, from World War II, a Royal Navy officer, two soldiers and an officer of the British Army and an airman and two officers of the Royal Air Force.[20]

See also

References
  1. Meller, Hugh: Parsons, Brian (2011). London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer (Fifth ed.). Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. pp. 220–221. ISBN 978 0 7524 6183 0.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. "Liberal Jewish Cemetery". London Gardens Online. London Parks & Gardens Trust. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  3. Historic England (7 February 2019). "Willesden Liberal Jewish Cemetery War Memorial (1461873)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  4. "Sir Louis Bernard Baron". Find A Grave. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  5. Matthews, Peter (2017). Who’s Buried Where in London. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 71.
  6. US patent 1918858, Otto Metzger, "Matrix for extruding metals", issued 18 July 1933
  7. US patent 2099449, Otto Metzger, "Method of making dry cells", issued 16 November 1937
  8. US patent 2117738, Otto Metzger, "Packing for perishable victuals", issued 17 May 1938
  9. Kadish, Sharman, Jewish Heritage in England: an Architectural Guide, English Heritage, 2006, pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-1905624287.
  10. Stansky, Peter. Sassoon: the worlds of Philip and Sybil, Yale University Press, 2003, p.16. ISBN 978-0300095470.
  11. "Sir Edward Albert Sassoon". The Knowles Collection. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  12. "Sir Edward Sassoon". Find A Grave. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  13. King, Lorraine (2 August 2013). "The Liberal Jewish Synagogue to commemorate centenary of its cemetery in Willesden". Brent and Kilburn Times. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  14. "Sir Andrew Akiba Shonfield". Find A Grave. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  15. "Andrew Shonfield Dead at 63". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 29 January 1981. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  16. Keld, Julia. "Conchita Supervia Rubenstein". Find A Grave. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  17. "Lutyens Memorial to a Spanish Opera Singer". The Lutyens Trust. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  18. Photograph of Conchita Supervía's grave
  19. Jewish Telegraphic Agency (6 August 1926). "Funeral of I. Zangwill Attended by Thousands; Rabbi Wise Officiates". Jewish Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  20. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/search-results/?CemeteryExact=true&Cemetery=WILLESDEN%20LIBERAL%20JEWISH%20CEMETERY
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