The daughter of a London man who died early in the pandemic has proposed the creation of a communal memorial for Jewish victims of Covid-19.
Juliet Moss is looking to muster support for her idea to honour those from “all sectors of the Jewish community” who succumbed to the virus.
According to the Board of Deputies, which has been collating information from Jewish burial societies across the country, the virus had claimed 907 Jewish lives in the UK just before the end of July — with one death recorded during the latter half of last month.
In a letter in this week’s JC, Ms Moss said her father was “probably one of the first to die apparently from Covid-19, although he didn’t realise it at the time having suddenly collapsed on the morning of the first lockdown on March 23”.
She recalled sitting in the relatives’ room at the hospital, watching Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce the first lockdown on her mobile phone “as my father lay dying in the next room”.
Ms Moss wrote that she was “fortunate that I can visit my father’s grave in Willesden Cemetery whenever I want” but because she was identified as being high-risk medically, she had been unable to attend his funeral.
“There must be so many of us, families and friends who wish to pay their respects to those who have died within the cross-communal Jewish community in a suitable location,” she said.
Her father Clive, who was 89, had been on holiday in South Africa before his death but developed a cough shortly after his return.
Ms Moss, who works for a mental health charity, has had roles in a number of Jewish charities during her career.
Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said she had “proposed a national Jewish remembrance event where we can pay tribute to all who have lost their lives since early 2020.”
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