Jewish Cemetery in Penang

The Jewish cemetery is located at Jahudi Road(Jahudi is Malay word for Jew), but now the name has changed to Jalan Zainal Abidin. It is the road between Macalister Road and Burma Road.

This is the only Jewish cemetery in Penang, as well as Malaysia. The Penang Jewish Cemetery was established in 1805. It has area of 38,087 sq ft(or 3,538.4 sm). The oldest tombstone in the cemetery was that of Mrs Shoshan Levi dated 9-7-1835, who was believed to be the English Jew, whose benefactors donated the current cemetery land. The last burial was in 1978.

There are about 106 graves in the cemetery. Most of the graves take the form of triangular vaulted -lided casket, resembling the ossuaries commonly found in Israel. (Note: An ossuary is a building or site made to serve as the final resting place of human sketatal remains)


At the left corner of the cemetery, were the family graves of Cohen family, it is the only graves in the cemetery maintained by Commonwealth Graves Commission. One of the Cohen family, Lt Eliaho Hayeem Victor Cohen served with the 9th Jat Regiment of British Indian Army, he was killed in an accident on 10-10-1941.

The cemetery is managed by Board of Trustees, established in 1885. The cemetery is well kept and clean.

There are other Jewish graves in Christian Cemetery in Farquhar Street(near Northam Road, now known as Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah), and Catholic Cemetery in Kelawei Road. These are non-Jewish cemetery.

There used to be a Jewish synagogue inPenang. It was located at Jalan Nagore, it was closed down in 1976.






















The Penang Jews arrival in Penang dated back to British ruled 19th century, in view of the increasing importance of entreport business, it attracted Baghdadi Jews from India(e.g. Meyers and Sassoons trading family), and Iraq due to the prosecution of then governor,Daud Pasha of Ottoman province of Baghdad during 1817-1831. The first Jew was Ezekiel Aaron Menasseh,who emigrated from Baghdad in 1895. He claimed to be the only praticing Jews in Malaya for 30 years until WW1. But the statistic obtained indicated otherwise.

General Census of Jewish settlers in Penang (1881-1941)
Year	Males	Females	Boys	Girls	Total
1881	14	9	5	4	32
1891	47	64	14	30	155
1899	83	41	33	15	172
1901	16	17	8	4	45
1941	11	8	6	5	30

(source: Nathan, Ezekiel (1986). The History of Jews in Singapore (1830-1945). Singapore: Herbilu Editorial & Marketing Services)

After WW II when Japan invaded Malaya , Jews were evacuated to Singapore, many were interred by Japanese.After the war, many Jews emigrated to Singapore, Australia, USA and Israel. Some Chinese Jews from Kaifeng, may be emigrated to Malaya after WW II, when the communists took over China.
It was reported by 1963, only 20 Jewish families left in Malaya(included former RTM Orchestra conductor, Mr Gus Styne). Many of the descendants of original Malaya or Penang Jews are mainly in Singapore. Today it was reported about 100 Jews lived in Malaysia, but difficult to confirm. There may be some Russian Jews. Some of the Jews in Penang may not officially acknowledged themselves as Jews, but called themselves as Serani or Eurasians. My brother did met one of the Jews from Penang some years back, but do not know whether he has emigrated. He can speak good Penang Hokkian.

The famous Jew from Malaya(Sigapore was part of Malaya) included the former Chief Minister of Singapore, David Marshall(1908-1995). But wonder is he the descedants from Penang Jews?

The Jewish cemetery is now the only remain of Jewish community that had contributed to the Penang and the nation.It is the heritage site to be preserved.