“We’ve been doing funerals every half-hour. We’re up around 100 per cent compared to this time last year,” said Mr Hartog.
“We’ve got gravediggers digging new graves every half an hour. The people who would usually be doing other work in the cemetery, we’ve called them across, and they are all digging graves.”
The United Synagogue’s Burial Society, which usually conducts between two to four funerals per day, has been burying as many as 13 to 14 people per day over the past few weeks, Mr Hartog said.
“One day, I think, we had 23 funerals in one day,” added Mr Hartog.
Mr Hartog said that on some days the Society had as many as four ambulances out collecting the dead from morgues, where queues of up to five collection ambulances were now commonplace.
Restrictions on the number of mourners at funerals has changed their dynamic, Mr Hartog said.
“There is that silence. When you are going to a grave. There is no noise, no talking, and everyone is concentrating on what they’ve got to do,” he said.
“It has taken a whole different meaning of going to a burial, because you have just the mourners, the rabbi and the staff,” he continued, “imagine the silence.”
Despite the challenges, all funerals have been able to go ahead as planned, and the Beth Din gave permission for undertakers to work exceptionally over the second and eighth days of Passover.
The Burial Society’s 50 staff have had all leave cancelled and have been working six days a week to ensure that they keep on top of demand.
“We would never have to say that we can’t do a funeral today,” Mr Hartog continued.
Mr Hartog said that the United Synagogue had decided against asking mourners not to attend funerals.
“We all felt very strongly that we wouldn’t get into, where other organisations are, of being no visitors or mourners at all,” he said. “You can only say goodbye once.”
Members of the local Jewish community have rallied round the cemetery staff. Kosher businesses are donating food, after it emerged that the workload was leading to staff members missing lunch.
“I think that it is a wonderful thing to do,” said Mr Hartog, “it really is lovely and we can’t thank them enough.”
Mr Hartog also thanked his staff and volunteers that have been manning phones and collecting the dead, as well as other burial societies around the country: "I've got the upmost respect, not only for the burial staff of the United Synagogue, but for burial staff across the country".
