We wish Mazal Tov to Alan Lipczer, who retiring from his main roles in the United Synagogue Burial Society after almost 30 years.
Alan’s career started in March 1996, where he worked for Cranbrook United Synagogue. Two years in, Alan was in a road accident and broke his leg, and after a 9-month break he joined Abraham Jewish Funeral Services. This firm supplied vans and hearses to the United Synagogue. Working from Finchley United Synagogue, his role for the next few years involved going out to do pickups of bodies ready for funerals.
Alan then rejoined the United Synagogue in 2003, where his role involved pickups from London hospitals and nursing homes. This is the role that Alan has been carrying out until present, as part of his role as a member of the United Synagogue Chevra Kadisha. Over his career, he has worked at both Bushey Cemetery and Waltham Abbey Cemetery.
Throughout his career, he has also worked extensively on the maps of Bushey Cemeteries, Willesden Jewish Cemetery, East Ham Jewish Cemetery, and Waltham Abbey Cemetery. This involved finding and correcting mistakes, as well as finding a number of spaces which were unaccounted for and then sold.
After his semi-retirement at the end of this week, Alan will be continuing with his work on the maps for the cemeteries, as well as assisting families with stonesettings.
Alan said: “The United Synagogue and my career have given me a lot of enjoyment. I get along with my colleagues and we all pull together, and I’ve met some very interesting people. Melvyn Hartog used to say, ‘Alan always goes the extra mile.’”
The United Synagogue Burial Society, together with regular visitors of Waltham Abbey cemetery, will miss Alan very much. He is a well valued member of the team with a wealth of knowledge and stories going back 30 years.
We wish Alan good luck with the next chapter and thank him very much for all of his hard work for the Burial Society over the last few decades!
30 May 2024
