US Commission No. ROCE-0362
US Commission information pending [March 2001]
United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 1040, Washington D.C. 20005
Telephone: (202) 254-3824
Fax: (202) 254-3934
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: http://www.heritageabroad.gov
Reference Number: RO/MM/72
Located in Jud. Maramureş at 4734 2322, 252.9 miles NNW of Bucharest, Upon entering the village from the direction of Baia Mare, the cemetery is reached by turning left down a dirt road adjacent to an Orthodox cemetery, and opposite from the town bar. Follow the dirt road approximately 2km, and cross the railroad tracks. The road continues for another 100m, and dead-ends in front of a gate to a cattle yard/watering station. The cemetery is approximately 200m to the left, passed the sheep herders dwelling and slightly above the well in the middle of the yard.
- LOCAL: Comunitatea Evreilor (Baia Mare), Str. Someşului Nr. 5, 4800 Baia Mare, Jud. Maramureş, Romania. Tel: (40-62) 211-231. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti.
- REGIONAL: Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, Bucureşti, Tel: (40-1) 613-2538, 143-008. Contact: Mr. Alex Silvan
- CARETAKER: none
- Mr. Peter Todor (63), Sat Pribilesti, Com Satulung, Jud. Maramureş, Romania.
Mr. Todor is a shepherd who lives adjacent to the site. The nearest neighbor is this shepherd and his family. Peter Todor (62) has spent most of his life in the small shack near the cemetery and claims to have tried hard to keep people from stealing the stones over the years. Obviously, his efforts have not been all that successful. This site is unique in comparison to others in the region, because of the nature of the stone material, their pronounced thickness, and the presence of an earthen mound. The site definitely deserves some professional attention. It was not known to the Jewish community in Baia Mare at the time of our visit; and the caretakers stated that no one ever visited.
The isolated cemetery with no sign or marker, reached by a public road and crossing private property, is located at the edge of the town limits, just below the hills where the cattle and sheep are looked after by several families. The site is open to all. The cemetery is a roughly 30 by 12 meters rectangle with rounded corners. An earth mound approximately one meter high and one meter wide surrounds the site on all sides. Almost all the stones in the cemetery appear to be quite old. They are made of thick durable local stone and probably almost all of them predate WWI. Unfortunately, many of the stones have disappeared. We found six remaining stones in original location and nine stumps where stones once stood: 5 standing straight up and 1 broken. The vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem disturbing graves and stones. Water drainage is a constant problem. The Hebrew-inscribed granite and limestone flat-shaped, smoothed and inscribed, with carved relief decoration and or traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves. The owner is unknown. The cemetery property is now used for sheep and cattle grazing. Adjacent property is agricultural. Theft of stones is the primary problem encountered between 1945 and the present. No maintenance or structures. Security (uncontrolled access), vegetation, weather erosion, and vandalism are moderate threats.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, visited the site on 26 June 2002 and completed this survey on 30 June 2000 using a list of cemeteries known by Jewish Community in Baia Mare. They have no further information. Other documentation exists. They interviewed Peter Todor, neighbor to the cemetery site. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti. [April 2002]