A Holocaust memorial and garden being unveiled at the United Synagogue’s Bushey New Cemetery on Sunday has been welcomed by Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis as “a fitting and poignant tribute to the six victims whose remains were laid to rest there in 2019”.

More than 1,200 mourners had attended the burial of the six — five adults and a child — who were murdered in Auschwitz-Birkenau and whose remains had been stored in the Imperial War Museum archives for decades. Rabbi Mirvis described it then as “an extraordinary funeral” and he will conduct Sunday’s consecration, in the presence of many survivors.

“Each individual lost was someone’s relative, someone’s child and someone’s beloved, and as such, it is fitting that their memory is honoured in the place where we go to grieve for those closest to us,” he said.

“My hope is that this memorial will serve as a place for members of our community to reflect and contemplate, offering a sombre reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and their associates, the impact of which remains with us to this day.

“However, it is also a symbol of our commitment to ensuring that we will never again allow such hatred to take hold of our society.”

The space will be called the Sam and Sonja Frieman Holocaust Memorial and Garden, remembering the survivor and his wife — members of the 45 Aid Society and Richmond United Synagogue — who left “a generous legacy” to the US for the design and build of a fitting memorial.

US communications director Richard Verber said it would “provide a permanent space for reflection”.

He thanked the executors of Sam Frieman’s will — Michael Helfgott, Robert Bieber and Paul Lawrence — “who worked closely with us during the pandemic on the execution of this important project”.


Community members can attend the ceremony, which will be at 3pm