Ban on Star of David on grave in Shotesham churchyard

Laura Woollacott had asked the Church of England’s Consistory Court for consent to have the emblem inscribed on the stone intended for her husband Raz’s grave in St Mary’s Churchyard at Shotesham, near Norwich.

But judge of the consistory court and former Chancellor of the Diocese of Norwich David Etherington KC refused consent.

St Mary's Church, at Shotesham (Image: Wikimedia)

Chancellor Etherington ruled that while Mr Woollacott was entitled to be buried there, churchyard regulations meant the non-Christian symbol could not be included on his gravestone.

After the ruling was made public, Mr Woollacott's wife Laura said: "Everybody I've spoken to in the village can't believe it.

"As a family we were very keen to see a representation of Raz's Jewish heritage on his headstone, so it is with real sadness and disappointment that we must accept this will not be permitted."

 MAN OF JEWISH HERITAGE, WHO TOUCHED THE LIVES OF MANY

Raz Woollacott pictured outside his home in Shotesham (Image: Raz Woollacott)

Father-of-two Raz Josiah Woollacott, who passed away at the age of 74 last March was a part-Ukrainian Jew who lived in Shotesham with his wife, Laura.

He was one of the first to fly Ukraine's blue and yellow flag outside his home after the Russian invasion began in February, 2022.

Mr Woollacott had worked as a countryside officer for Norfolk County Council and was a supporter of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.

He also campaigned against Brexit and was one of the co-owners of the pro-Remain New European newspaper.

He ran a monthly film night for villagers in Shotesham and championed the village bowls club.

Raz Woollacott pictured with his wife, Laura (Image: Raz Woollacott)

He also opened a health food shop in Norwich and ran a bicycle repair shop. 

After her husband passed away, Mrs Woollacott, 61, said: "He touched the lives of so many people, his generosity, abundance of enthusiasm and kindness was well recognised. He left a lasting impression on the lives of others far and wide.  

"A man of Jewish heritage, who had so much to share, achieved so much in his noble life and was such a great example of a simple everyday man who was humble and generous, completely unmaterialistic and died with no regrets. Raz was truly a remarkable man."

THE JUDGE'S RULING 

The four-page written judgement says Mr Woollacott was "born into the Jewish faith, not brought up strictly within it, but in a family which celebrated Jewish customs and traditions". 

Chancellor Etherington said he accepted that the Jewish and Christian religions were "intimately connected" but said they had "conflicting beliefs" and that symbols, other than the Christian cross were generally not appropriate for gravestones in Church of England churchyards.

He added a Christian cross on a headstone in a Jewish cemetery "might well be viewed as improper". 

Raz Woollacott was a popular figure in the village of Shotesham (Image: Newsquest)

The judgement touched on an earlier case ruled on by the same judge in 2017, that of RAF pilot Harold Rosofsky, who was buried at All Saints and St Andrew's Church, at Honington in Suffolk, after he was killed along with his four crew when his Wellington bomber crashed on a training flight near Ipswich in September, 1939.

South African national Rosofsky's grave was originally marked with a Christian cross. He was carrying a Christian identity card when he died.

But Rosofsky was Jewish and was carrying the card in case he came down in German-occupied territory.

Raz Woollacott riding his bicycle with a Ukrainian flag (Image: Raz Woollacott)

And in 2017 Chancellor Etherington, who was then Chancellor of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, ruled the cross on his grave could be replaced by the Star of David. 

In his conclusion regarding Mr Woollacott's grave, he added: "I do not know whether Raz specifically wanted the Star of David on his memorial stone or whether it was a subsequent wish of the family, but I am afraid that I do not judge the facts here constitute an exceptional reason for departing from the normal rules, unlike, for instance, Pilot Officer Rosofsky whose particular circumstances did.

"Whilst the wishes of families and loved-ones are always taken into account when considering a memorial stone, there are regulations and they have to be applied fairly."