This tour is now full. Thanks for the incredible response! I'll organise another tour in late November or early December and let you know here.
By popular demand, I (Howard Elias) am organising another tour of the Jewish Cemetery in Happy Valley.
You'll find full details and how to register below, but if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.
When: Sunday afternoon, September 16th, starting at 2 pm. The tour should take about 90 minutes, and there will be time afterwards to walk around the grounds and take pictures.
Meeting point: We'll meet at the fountain in the cemetery. The cemetery is at 13 Shan Kwong Road, Happy Valley. The entrance is located between the school and the Buddhist temple.
The gate will be open so you can just enter and you'll see the fountain when you get inside.
Fee: There is a fee of HK$50 per person with all of the money going towards the upkeep and maintenance of the cemetery. I'll collect the money on the day.
Register: To reserve a place, please send me an email (howzend@netvigator.com), giving your name and contact number, and how many people will join the tour.
The cemetery: The Hong Kong Jewish Cemetery is now surrounded by high rise apartment blocks, with the entrance flanked on either side by a Buddhist temple and its school. It is one of the few Jewish cemeteries in the Far East that is still in use and in its original 19th century location.
The tour: I will take you on a tour of this fascinating part of Hong Kong’s history. I'll share the stories of some of the cemetery’s more notable residents, which includes members of the Kadoorie, Belilios, Sassoon, Odell and Weill families, as well as some amazing stories about a few people you may have never heard of. I'll also discuss religious laws regarding burial, and the work the Jewish community's trust has undertaken over the past decade to maintain the cemetery grounds.
What to bring: There are no dress restrictions but I recommend you bring along three items: a hat, some drinking water and some mosquito spray. As previously mentioned, photography is allowed, so you're welcome to bring a camera too.
I joined Howard's tour last
I joined Howard's tour last year and there's lots to learn, and good stories about some of the interesting characters buried there. Well worth attending if you're free on the 16th of September.