Chief Rabbi opens Shoah memorial garden

A new Holocaust Memorial Garden was unveiled by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis in United Synagogue’s Waltham Abbey Cemetery in Essex.

The garden was donated and dedicated by Kathrin and Joe Szlezinger, who hailed it as a “dream come true”.

Rabbi Mirvis said: “It’s so very fitting that this memorial garden, bursting with life and growth has been dedicated to represent the renewed vitality of the Jewish people following the horrors of the Holocaust. It’s a perfect model, which I would love to see replicated by Jewish communities around the world.”

US president Stephen Pack said: “The ceremony was extremely moving. I’d like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Szlezinger family for their generosity and everyone who was involved in this beautiful addition to our cemetery.”