International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

Print

 

The cemetery is located at Reghin, Cerbului Str. no. 35, cod 4225, judet Mures, 4646 2442, 174.7 miles NNW of Bucharest and 32 km from Targu Mures. Alternate names: Regen (Romanian), Szaszregen (Hungarian). Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.

  • Mayor Marian Traian, P-ta Petru Maior, no. 1, tel. 537542, Reghin
  • The Jewish Community of Targu Mures, A. Filimon Str., no. 23, cod 4300, Tel. 0040 - 65 161810, Tîrgu Mures, Romania.
  • 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: Kiss Francisc, Reghin, Cerbului Str. no. 35

The 1850 Jewish population by census was 77, from 1857 was, 95, from 1869-1870 was 161, and in 1930 was 1.556

The first Jewish community was founded in 1850. The first synagogue was built in 1866. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Reghin and on June 4, 1944, 3149 Jews from Reghin and its environs were deported to Auschwitz. Noteworthy Jewish residents of the community were the first rabbi, Henrik Polak. The cemetery was established in 19th century. Noteworthy individuals buried in the unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery: Rabbis. Last known burial was 1944 - Geller David and Weisz Ilona.

The isolated urban flat land cemetery has sign in Hebrew mentioning Jews and the Jewish community. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A masonry wall with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 2100 m. 500-5000 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 good all year. No special sections.

The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble and granite flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, carved relief-decorated, and double tombstones, sculpted monuments and "other" have Hebrew, Hungarian, and Romanian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces, iron decoration or lettering, other than metallic elements, portraits on stone, and metal fences around graves. The cemetery has Holocaust memorial. No known mass graves.

The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential. Occasionally, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erecting and cleaning stones, clearing vegetation, and fixing gate and wall by Jewish individuals abroad. in 2000. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. Within the limits of the cemetery are a "rabbi's chapel" and Holocaust memorial.

Cosmina Popa, Tatra Str. no. 4, tel. 064/ 128764, Cluj Napoca, 3400 and Ioana Oprea, Bd. 21 Decembrie, 13-15, 064/190849, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on 8 August 2000 using the following documentation:

  • Recensamantul din 1850. Transilvania (The 1850 Jewish population census. Transylvania) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1996.
  • Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian, Budapest, 1995, in Hungarian
  • Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
  • Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
  • In Reghin, they interviewed Kiss Francisc. [January 2003]