Around 200 mourners attend Lord Janner’s funeral

Around 200 mourners attended Lord Janner funeral on Monday afternoon.

The Labour peer and Jewish activist was laid to rest after his last years were mired by accusations of historic child abuse.

Rabbi David Mason led the service Willesden Green Jewish Cemetery, which also saw former Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks lead prayers following the burial.

Lord Janner’s son Daniel Janner told those assembled that his father was “a very special man”.

Jewish community representatives including the Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush were also among the mourners at the north-west London venue. 

Lord Janner suffered chronic dementia and died peacefully at his home on Saturday, aged 87.

Jewish Leadership Council chair Sir Mick Davis said his death represented the “end of an era” for British Jewry. 

Lord Janner had a distinguished parliamentary career, serving as MP for Leicester West for 27 years, and was a prominent advocate of Jewish causes, including serving as a junior war crimes prosecutor following the Second World War and President of the Board of Deputies for six years.

The former barrister was charged with 22 sexual offences against nine alleged victims, all boys, spanning three decades.  His family have consistently denied the allegations. In statements to the press, they have described him as a man of ‘great integrity’ and ‘entirely innocent of any wrongdoing’.

The family of Lord Janner, who was a member of Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, have requested that their mourning be respected.