International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania C Also see town of Cluj
The cemetery is located Ciucea, Crasnei Str., the exit from the village towards Vinatori village, 3539, judet Cluj, 4657 2249, 235.1 miles NW of Bucharest and 72 km from Cluj. Alternate name: Csucsa (Hungarian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor But Valer, Ciucea, Negreni village, no. 146
- The Jewish Community of Cluj, Tipografiei Str. 25, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Tel. 0040-64-196600
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 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.
- Key holder and caretaker: Buzea Constantin, Ciucea no. 10
The 1857Jewish population by census was 17 and from 1930 census was 134. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Cluj and on May 25, 29, 31 and June 3, 8, and 9, 1944 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 20th century.
The isolated hill by water has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. A fence with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 800 m. 20-100 stones are visible, all in original location. Less than 25% 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 a constant problem. No special sections.
The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. Tombstones date from the 19th century. The "other" material memorial markers are flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed gravestones with Hebrew inscriptions. Some have metal fences around graves. No known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been clearing vegetation and fixing wall and gate done by Jewish individuals within the country in the 1980s. Current care is regular caretaker paid by the Jewish community of Arad. Weather erosion is a serious threat.
Assistant Professor Alexandru Pecican, Almasului Str., Bl. R1, apt. 14, 3400 Cluj-Napoca
completed the survey and visited the site on April 20, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Otto Mittelstrass, Historisch-Landeskindlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen. Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- Ernst Wagner, Historisch-statistisches Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen, Koln-Vienna, 1977.
- The General Census of the Population of Romania - December 29, 1930, I-III, Bucharest, 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (in Romanian)
He visited the site September 10, 2000 and interviewed Buzea Constantin, Ciucea. [January 2003]