International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania F-J The cemetery is located in Ghirisa, 3968, com. Beltiug, judet Satu Mare, 4736 2248, 269.8 miles NW of Bucharest and 28 km from Satu Mare. Alternate name: Geres (Hungarian). Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Bartoc Ioan, Town Hall of Beltiug, 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, 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: Varga Antoniu, Ghirisa, no. 290
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 49, by 1900 census was 48 and in 1930 was 40. 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, Hasidic cemetery was established at end of the 19th century. Noteworthy individuals buried in the cemetery: The Hasidic Rabbi Itzak Eli Wellner, his wife Hendel, son Jonathan Beniamin and two daughters. Last known burial was 1934.
The isolated rural/agricultural flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road,
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 54 x 30 m. 1-20 stones are visible, some not 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 good all year.
The oldest known gravestone dates from end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, limestone, and concrete flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves. The local 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 re-erection of stones, patching broken stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents and Jewish abroad in 1990 and1998. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey 27 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, 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 Varga Antoniu, Ghirisa. [January 2003]