Over 83 000 South African Jewish Burials available for you to find those missing  Ancestors. In this database you will find the names and surname of the deceased as well as date of death, Hebrew name and cemetery. In many instances you might also find father and mother’s name as well as spouse names and maiden names.  These burials cover over 50 cemeteries around Africa such as Pinelands 1 , West Park, Brixton, Braamfontein,  Commercial Road, Dundee, Vryheid, Piketberg etc. Please send us any amendments or additions to this database. Images can also be found in the gallery. If you are willing to help tag Jewish graves please let us know.

A headstone (tombstone) is known as a matzevah (“monument”). Although there is no Halakhic obligation to hold an unveiling ceremony, the ritual became popular in many communities toward the end of the 19th century. There are varying customs about when it should be placed on the grave. Most communities have an unveiling ceremony a year after the death. Some communities have it earlier, even a week after the burial. In Israel it is done after the “sheloshim”, the first thirty days of mourning. There is no restriction about the timing, other than the unveiling cannot be held during certain periods such as Passover or Chol Ha’Moed.

At the end of the ceremony, a cloth or shroud covering that has been placed on the headstone is removed, customarily by close family members. Services include reading of several psalms (1, 23, 24, 103), Mourners Kaddish (if a minyan is available), and the prayer “El Malei Rachamim.” The service may include a brief eulogy for the deceased.