Cemetery is located at Brindusei Str., 3765, Marghita,, judet Bihor, Romania at 4721 2220, 270.7 miles NW of Bucharest and 53 km from Oradea. Alternate name is Margitta (Hungarian). Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Voicu Vasile, 3765 Marghita Town Hall, tel. 0040-59-360001
- The Jewish Community of Oradea, Mihai Viteazu Str. no. 4, 3700 Oradea, Romania, tel. 0040-59-134843 (132587)
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- Interested: "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.
- Caretaker with key: Duszko Pavel, Marghita, Brindusei Str. no. 10A
In 1839-1840 census, Jewish population was 89, by 1880 census was 533, by 1900 census was 943, and in 1930 was 1623 Some Jews entered the Orthodox resistance to the Haskellah movement in the second half of the 19th century, especially Rabbi Hillel Lichtenstein. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the Oradea ghetto and on May 23, 25, 28-30, and June 1-5, 27 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in first half of 19th century. Buried there are Rabbis: Hillel Lichtenstein ( 1815-1891); Iehuda Jechiel Toiv and his wife; and Smuel Zilman and his wife. Last known burial was 1985.
The isolated urban hillside 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- and post-WWII size is 120 x 180 m. 100-500 stones are visible. 1-20 stones are 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 first half of 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and concrete. flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated, double tombstones, and sculpted monuments and multi-stone monuments have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces and metal fences around graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard. Adjacent properties are in village residential setting with houses, gardens, orchards, and pastures. Occasionally, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years or occasionally in the last ten years. [sic] Maintenance has been re-erection of stones, patching broken stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents in 1999. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. Within the limits of the cemetery were small concrete ohels. No threats.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 30 June 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
- Recensamintul general al popula]iei din 29 decembrie 1930, (The General Census of the population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
- Recensamantul general al populatiei Romaniei din 29 decembrie 1930, vol.
II (The General Census of the Population of Romania from 29 December 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
- 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 Duszko Pavel, 29. 06. 2000, Marghita. [January 2003]