Jewish Cemetery
Jalan Zainal Abidin (Yahudi Road), George Town

EarthDocumentary World Budget Travel Guide

Compare Hotel Room Rates from different Booking Sites

Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery in Penang is believed to be the oldest in Malaysia as well as throughout the region. With 70 graves, the Jewish Cemetery is one of the biggest concentration of Jewish graves in one area. The first grave in the cemetery is dated 1805 while the most recent is dated 1976.

The Jewish Cemetery of Jalan Zainal Abidin is a reminder of the small but significant Jewish community that once dwelled peacefully in Penang. They are said to be aligned closely to the Armenians, and arrived in Penang by way of India. The number of Jews in Malaysia decimated after the Independence, as they migrated to other country. As of today, it is not known how many Jews are there still in Penang.

Among those buried at the cemetery was a British officers of Jewish descent who was killed during the Second World War. Despite the tropical weather, most of the graves are in excellent condition. Many are tombs with vaulted lid, made to resemble ossuaries from in Israel. The inscriptions are in Hebrew, or bilingual, in Hebrew and English.

The Jewish cemetery is surrounded by an eight-feet tall wall. Entry is via an iron gate with the words "Jewish Cemetery" on it. The oldest graves are the ones immediately in front of the gate. Surrounding the Jewish cemetery are modern high rise apartment blocks and office skyscrapers, including Menara UMNO.

Getting there

Take the Rapid Penang from Weld Quay Bus Terminal to Jalan Burma. Disembark the bus at the bus stop in front of the former Rex cinema (now Mekio furniture shop). Walk along Jalan Burma to Jalan Zainal Abidin. Turn left into Jalan Zainal Abidin. Walk for another 150 meters. The Jewish cemetery is on your left.

When to visit

It is best to visit the Jewish Cemetery during the dry season, when the grass is shortest. This is between January and March. Temperature around this season is however at the highest.

Click for list of Penang Heritage Sites

Jewish Cemetery Location Map

Photos fo the Jewish Cemetery

Jewish Cemetery (29 January 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Get the best rates when booking Penang hotels

Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?

The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!

Find a hotel

New York City
Bangkok
Amsterdam

Guests:

Rooms:

Great Travel Deals Wego.com

Flight Checker

Our Flight Checker helps travelers compare flights and get the lowest fare for their trips. If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.

Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.

Return to Penang Travel Tips homepage

My message introducing God to all the world: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO TIM

Penang Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The text is the copyright of Timothy Tye, and may not be copied for commercial use or re-published in another website without the author's permission. Information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. Photographs on this website are the copyright of the author and may not be reused without prior permission. For commercial licensing of photographs, read the licensing terms.

Jewish CemeteryJalan Zainal Abidin (Yahudi Road), George Town