International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

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Baru, Barul-Mare, Baru Mare. 45°28' N 23°10' E, 160.1 miles WNW of Bucureşti. Baru is a commune composed of four villages: Baru, Livadia, Petros and Valea Lupului.

The cemetery is located at Baru Mare, 2671 in Transylvania at 45°28' 23°10', 160.1 miles WNW of Bucharest and 24 km from Petrosani. The alternate Hungarian name is Nagybar. The current population is 500-1000 with no Jews.

  • Local Authority: Mayor Marcu Popescu, Townhall of Baru Mare, jud. Hunedoara
  • Local Religious Authority: Jewish Community of Deva, Libertatii str., no. 9, Romania, tel. 0040-54-215550
  • Regional Authority: The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri str., no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
  • Interested and may have more information: "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii str., no. 7-9, room 61, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Director: Ladislau Gyeman
  • Caretaker with key: Ciubeica Floare, Baru Mare, no. 259

Jewish population by census was sixteen in 1880, eleven in1900, and none in 1930. The unlandmarked Orthodox and Neolog cemetery dates from the second half of the 19th century. Buried there is Cohen: Iona ben Smuel (d. 1878.) The last burial was during the interwar period
The isolated rural wooded, flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by crossing private land, access to the cemetery is via private property. A masonry wall and gate that locks surrounds the cemetery. The pre-WWII cemetery is unknown, but the current size is 15 x 14 m. with no special sections. 20-100 gravestones are in cemetery with 1-20 in original location and 1-20 not in original location. No stones are toppled or broken. No stones were removed from the cemetery (probably.) Vegetation overgrowth is not a problem. Water drainage is a seasonal problem.

The oldest stone dates from 1878. The marble, sandstone, concrete, and local stone memorial markers are flat-shaped, smoothed and inscribed with Hebrew, German, and Hungarian, some with carved relief decoration. No mass graves. The present owner of the inactive cemetery project is the local Jewish community. The site is used for Jewish cemetery and agricultural purposes (orchard.) Adjacent properties are residential. The size before WWII is unknown. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery has had stones reerected, stones cleaned, vegetation cleared, and wall fixed by local non-Jewish residents in 1965. The local Jewish community pays the caretaker. No structures. No threats.

Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 22 September 2000 using the following documentation:

  • Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania (The Census from 1880. Transylvania) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
  • Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania (The Census from 1900. Transylvania) coord.: 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
  • Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger, 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, 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 from Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
  • Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
  • Microsoft AutoRoute Express 1999

She interviewed Ciubeica Floare on 22 September 2000 in Baru Mare.