Board urges caution as figures show burial rate more than doubled in spring

The Board of Deputies urged the community to remain cautious as it released new analysis showing the rate of Jewish burials has more than doubled this spring, compared to last year.

Data released by the Board of Deputies on Tuesday shows the months of March, April and May this year saw a total of 811 Jewish burials.

The numbers represent a stark 127 percent increase when compared to the same period last year, which logged 358 Jewish burials.

The Jewish umbrella group recorded a total of 501 Jewish funerals where Covid-19 appeared on the death certificate as of last Friday, up from 500 the previous week.

The analysis suggests the Jewish community has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, read a statement from the Board of Deputies.

“The reopening of some synagogues this Shabbat will come as a relief to many of us, as some aspects of our Jewish way of life return to normal,” said its president Marie van der Zyl.

“But as these figures show, we have disproportionately lost loved ones, friends and family as a community. It is critical we follow Government guidance and caution going forward to save lives,” she warned.

The Board of Deputies gathers weekly data from the Adath Yisroel Burial Society, the Federation of Synagogues Burial Society, the Joint Jewish Burial Board, Liberal Judaism, the Spanish and Portuguese Sephardi Community and the United Synagogue Burial Society.