Jewish population: 168 (in 1880), 69 (in 1920). 47°46' N, 23°12' E, in NW Romania, 15 miles E of Satu Mare (Szatmár), 268.7 miles NNW of Bucharest and 34 km from Baia Mare.
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 50: "Apa".
- Pinkas HaKehilot, Romania, Vol. 2 (1980), p. 83: "Apa".
The cemetery is located in Apa, 3985 at Somesului Str., no., 233, judet Satu Mare, Romania. Hungarian name also is Apa. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with one Jew.
- Mayor Pop Maria, Town Hall of Apa, 3985, judet Satu Mare
- The Jewish Community of Satu Mare, Decebal Str. no. 4A, 3900 Satu Mare, Romania, tel. 0040-61-713703
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii Str. no. 7-9, room 61, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Director: Ladislau Gyemant, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- "A.D. Xenopol" Institute of History, Lascar Catargi Str., no. 15, 6400- Iasi (judet Iasi), Romania. Tel. 032/212614; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Director: Alexandru Zub.
- Key holder and caretaker: Dirlea Ana, Apa, no. 233
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 168; by 1900 census was 177 and in 1930 was 110. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Satu Mare and on May 19, 22, 26, 29, 30, 31, and June 1 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in second half of the 19th century. Buried in the cemetery are three Cohanim. Last known burial was inter-war period.
The isolated rural/agricultural flat land has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A fence with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 36 x 56 m. 20-100 stones are visible. 1-20 stones are not in original location. 25%-50% of the stones are toppled or broken. Location of stones removed from the cemetery is unknown. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is not a problem. Water drainage is good all year.
The cemetery has special sections for Cohanim and women who died in childbirth. The oldest known gravestone dates from second half of 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, sandstone, concrete, and local stone flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated, and double tombstones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years or occasionally in the last ten years. [sic] Malba iuliaaintenance has been re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents in 1998. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey in July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
- Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
Recensamintul general al populatiei din Romania din 7 ianuarie 1992 (The General Census of the Population of Romania from January 7, 1992), vol. I, Bucuresti, 1994 - Zsido Lexicon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
- Izvoare si marturii referitoare la evreii din Romania (Sources and Testimonies on the Jews in Romania), vol. III/1-2, coord. L. Gyemant, L. Benjamin, Bucuresti, Ed. Hasefer, 1999
- Ladislau Gyemant, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii, 1790-1867 (The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of Emancipation 1790-1867), Bucuresti, ed, Enciclopedica, 2000
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
- Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- Microsoft Auto Route Express 1999
Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Boia Andrei on July 13, 2000. [January 2003]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [July 2018]