The cemetery is located in Simionesti, near the village, code 4435, judet Bistrita, 4704 2430, 197.5 miles NNW of Bucharest, 15 km. from Bistrita. Alternate name: Simontelke (Hungarian), Seimersdorf (German). Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Sonea Ioan, Budacu de Jos
- The Jewish Community of Bistrita, Gr. Balan Street, 71, cod 4400, Bistrita, Romania
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sfintu Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania.
- "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii Street, 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: Seplecan Dumitru, Simionesti
The 1850 Jewish population by census was 34 and in 1930 was two. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Bistrita and in June 2-6, 1944 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 20th century.
The isolated rural/agricultural 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 50 m X 30 m. 20-100 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 a seasonal problem preventing access. Water drainage is good all year. No special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. The 19th and 20th century granite flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief decorated common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves.
The national Jewish community owns the property used for orchard. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erection of stones and clearing vegetation, and gate repair. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by unpaid individuals. No structures.
Cosmina Popa, Tatra Street no. 4, tel. 064/ 128764, Cluj Napoca, 3400 and Ioana Raiciu, Bd. 21 Decembrie, 13-15, 064/190849, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on July 25, 2000 using the following documentation:
- The General Census of the Population of Transylvania- 1857, Bucharest, Ed. Staff, 1996
- Wager, Ernest. Historisch- Statistisches- Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen- Ernst Wagner, Ed. Bohlau, 1977
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. Istoria evreilor din Transilvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (Romanian version); Budapest, 1995 (Hungarian version)
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localităţilor din Transilvania, I-II, Bucharest, 1968.
- Recensamintul general al populatiei din Transilvania ? 1930 decembrie 29, I-III, Bucharest, 1938
No interviews. [January 2003]