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The Arab Caretaker of the Largest Jewish Cemetery


(Khaleej Times-UAE) Anjana Sankar - Ibrahim Sayyed, 59, is the Muslim caretaker of the world's largest Jewish cemetery located atop the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He is the third-generation of caretakers for the cemetery, where Jews have been burying their dead for 3,000 years. "I have been taking care of the graveyard for more than 40 years now. I took over the mantle from my father and grandfather." There are between 60,000 and 150,000 tombs from various periods in history. Sayyed says, "I know each and every one of these tombs by name. Families from different parts of the world come here often to look for a family member who passed away years ago. And if they tell me the name, I know where they are resting in peace." But Sayyad says none of his children is interested in continuing the family tradition.
2020-12-10 00:00:00
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