30 July 2019

Members of Liberal Judaism’s Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue and neighbouring Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue are celebrating victory in their #JewsForLoos campaign.

Following pressure from a combined group, including the two synagogues and other local faith communities, Brighton & Hove City Council have reopened the disused toilet facility building at Hove Cemetery North for the first time in seven years for inspection.

The campaign, facilitated by Frida Gustaffson of Brighton & Hove Citizens, will now ensure that the council keeps its newly made commitment to fully surveying the building and getting estimates for the installation of an accessible toilet.

Michael Austin, a trustee of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, said: “We are very excited at this first big step in making our cemetery equally accessible to all users. Those attending funerals and stone settings, or visiting graves, can now do so in dignity.

We have had an offer from the Bloom Charitable Foundation of at least £5,000 towards the cost of reinstatement, which shows how communities can come together for the common good.”

Michael has written an article on how this campaign came together and the steps it took to achieve victory, which you can read here.