International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania B-Bi
US COMMISSION NO. RO/MM/62
Alternate/former Hungarian name: Mosóbănya. Located in Jud. Maramures away from the main roads of the village, although the caretaker's house can be found at number 221 on the main street.
- Local authority should be Comunitatea Evreilor (Baia Mare), Str. Someşului Nr. 5, 4800 Baia Mare, Jud. Maramureş, Romania. Tel: (40-62) 211-231
- Regional authority: Federation of Jewish Communities Romania, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, Bucureşti, Tel: (40-1) 613-2538, 143-008. Contact: Mr. Alex Silvan
- Interested: Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Jewish Communities in Bucuresti.
- Caretaker: Mr. Gheorge and Mrs. Florica Olaru, Str. Principal nr. 221, Băiţa de sub Codru, Jud. Maramures, Romania. Telephone, internal: 38.
We were lead to the cemetery in Baita de sub Codru by the caretaker Mrs. Florica Olaru. Her husband was unavailable on the day of our visit as he was attending a festival in a neighboring village. Mrs. Olaru and her husband have been looking after the cemetery for over twenty years, ever since the death of her father-in-law, who was the former caretaker.
A concrete post and wire mesh fence that was built sometime within the past ten years protects the cemetery. The burials marked with gravestones are confined to a roughly 200 square meter section at the far end from the entrance. A large landslide that occurred following a storm this past winter has seriously damaged a significant portion of this area. The landslide caused four stones to topple and has disturbed the fence and posts on both ends of the cemetery. Regrettably, little can be done at the present time to prevent further erosion of the land. The disturbed area runs from north to south and encompasses approximately 45 square meters.
Inscriptions on gravestones: 1) Ferencz Magdus, 1931 Jan. 28, 13 years. 2) Gluck Ignacz 3) Ferencz Lilike, Mech 1928 Aug. 23. 4) Ferencz Elemer, 33 years, died in Auschwitz 1944 II/10. 5) One stone with a number of inscriptions: Ferencz Moisa + wife, Ferencz Sighismond + wife, Deutsch Eugen + wife, and daughter Deutsch Ela, Ferencz Martin Suzana. 6) one broken stone, only partly legible: ? Iosif + wife, Matilda Gluck, Ferencz Alexandru + wife, Ferencz Andrei + wife, elemer, Marton, Sari?. #s 5 and 6 were had been broken, but were stacked neatly to one side of the cemetery fence. Memorial stones were erected after WWII. The isolated rural (agricultural) location on hillside has no sign or marker.
A public road and private property reach the cemetery. Access to the cemetery is open to all. A fence and a gate that does not lock surround the 994 square meters (Baia Mare list) site. 19 gravestones are in the cemetery, regardless of condition or position: 5 standing straight up, 5 toppled, 5 leaning, 1 broken, and 3 moved with one stump visible where a stone once stood. Vegetation overgrowth and water drainage are not problems. The marble, granite, limestone, and sandstone tombstones and memorial markers are flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and multi-stone monuments with traces of painting on their surfaces, recent cement footing for stones, and cement grave boundary and Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves. The cemetery property is now used for an orchard. Adjacent properties are agricultural.
Compared to 1939, the cemetery boundaries enclose the same area (probable.)
The cemetery is visited occasionally by private visitors (Jewish.) Care has been re-erection of stones, cleaning of stones, and clearing of vegetation by local non-Jewish residents and Jewish individuals within country. Seasonal clearing of vegetation (twice a year minimum) by caretaker, all other work done by a Jewish woman, who lives in Baia Mare. Between three and four years ago, she arranged for concrete grave boundaries for four stones. Care is by a regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. Security (uncontrolled access) and weather erosion of stones and erosion of the hillside location are threats.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder (who have no further information) completed this survey on 30 June 2000 using a list of cemeteries known by Jewish Community in Baia Mare. Other documentation exists. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti. They visited the site on 24 June 2000 and interviewed Mrs. Florica Olaru.