Prize for Veenendaal Jewish cemetery

The Jewish cemetery in Veenendaal recently took second place in the battle for the Golden Terebith Award. This is a prize for the most beautiful cemetery in the Netherlands, which is organized by Terebinth, an organization that is committed to preserving cemetery sites. First place went to the Groenesteeg cemetery in Leiden.

The Friends of the Beth Chaim Jewish Cemetery foundation was one of the fifteen participating entries of this edition of the Award. The ceremony took place in Gorkum. The prize was established in 2016 for the preservation of funerary heritage in the Netherlands and is awarded every two years. There was also a cash prize of one thousand euros for the winner and 250 euros for numbers two and three.

Presentations from the participating cemeteries followed in Gorkum. Jaap Pilon provided this for the Veenendaal Jewish cemetery. He light-heartedly emphasized the preservation and maintenance of this. He also briefly discussed the history of this place and praised the volunteers who were committed to it. A video also followed with a good impression of the cemetery.

Climate requirement

Having biodiversity is one of the most important criteria that the jury has drawn up. ‘Especially in these times of climate change, attention to natural values ​​in and around cemeteries is of great importance. After all, cemeteries can play a role in increasing biodiversity and climate adaptation,” said the jury. This is often not the case at Jewish cemeteries. That is why first place went to Leiden.