May Pen Cemetery – Petchary's Blog

A fire at the historic Hunts Bay Jewish Cemetery highlights negligence for Jamaica’s cultural heritage

August 9, 2022

There are some Jamaican habits and attitudes that make me very sad. I am very late in reporting this* First of all, let me tell you about the fire at Hunts Bay Cemetery, which exemplifies two aspects of Jamaican life that I find depressing. *(This summer has turned my life a little upside down, or … More A fire at the historic Hunts Bay Jewish Cemetery highlights negligence for Jamaica’s cultural heritage

Jamaica Update, July 19, 2021: An abandoned bicycle, a lifeboat, and a bulk resignation letter

July 21, 2021

It has been two weeks since I wrote my last update. However, I will try to ensure there is no “stale” news here. I have been what millennials would call “super busy” – with a bumper crop of mangoes, and the Caribbean Tree Planting Week (read more here!) We are also living in some kind … More Jamaica Update, July 19, 2021: An abandoned bicycle, a lifeboat, and a bulk resignation letter

On Honouring our Dead in Different Ways

October 28, 2018

Hallowe’en is just around the corner. In Vermont, where we stayed recently, there was much evidence of this. Filmy ghosts dangled from every tree, lining the entire Main Street of the nearest town, St. Johnsbury. There is a plan for the fourth annual Halloween Parade in the town. Many houses had what appeared to be fake … More On Honouring our Dead in Different Ways

Recording our Ancestors: Part 2

February 12, 2014

“I never met my grandfather.” So said Joseph de Leon, of Queens, New York. He and his son (also called Joseph) were among a group of American Jewish volunteers working at the Jewish Cemetery in Orange Street, Kingston. The group, led by Rachel Frankel, visited Jamaica last month; this was their seventh consecutive annual visit … More Recording our Ancestors: Part 2