US Commission No. ROCE-0370 Reference Number: RO/MM/50
Alternate Hungarian name: Szerfalva. Alternate Romanian name: Sârbi. Located at 4746 2357, 252.1 miles NNW of Bucharest in Maramureş judet. Or 4736 2321, 255.3 miles NNW of Bucharest. The cemetery is so isolated, it is best to contact Mr. Laurins Mesaros, who lives at N0. 88. His fields are adjacent to the cemetery. The cemetery itself is located between fields above and two fields away from the Orthodox Christian cemetery.
- LOCAL: Comunitatea Evreilor (Maramures Sighet), str. Basarabiei 8, Sighetu Marmatei, Jud. Maramureş, Romania. Tel: (40-62) 311-652.
- Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Sighet 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: Unknown. Mr. Mesaros, who own fields next to the cemetery, has cleared the vegetation in the cemetery on several occasions. He stated that the land belongs to a Mr. Vasile Gherman, nicknamed "Postas" as he is employed at the local post office.
- Although we were unable to determine whether or not there is an "official" caretaker, we met with Mr. Laurins Mesaros, who has cleared the vegetation on several occasions and maintains several fields lying adjacent to the site. Mr. Mesaros stated that the land where the cemetery lies belongs to a Mr. Vasile Gherman, nicknamed "postas" as he is employed at the local post office. We were unable to contact Mr. Vasile Gherman as he was attending a market in a neighboring village on the day of our visit.
The cemetery appears to be in good condition. A concrete post and wire mesh fence protects the cemetery in Sirbi. The gate was unlocked at the time of our visit. The vegetation is maintained on a regular basis. Though the grass was a bit overgrown on the day of our visit, there were no signs of larger growth disturbing the stones or preventing access to any portions of the cemetery. We estimate that the cemetery is visited fairly regularly because candles have been left on or near several of the stones.
The following two stones had writing in the Latin alphabet: Eugen Ingber (1905-1979), Rozalia (1917-1965) [his wife?]. Mr. Ingber was the last burial. Elderly villagers stated that he had lived in the neighboring village of Budesti. Possibly Ocna Şugatag used this cemetery. The one remaining Jewish person in Ocna Şugatag said that Jewish people from that community were buried in Sîrbi. The cemetery is about 7 km. from the congregations that used it. The rural (agricultural) is separate, near other cemeteries and has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road and crossing private property, access is open to all via a fence and a gate that does not lock.
Present size of cemetery is by on-site estimate - 14m x 34m. 41 gravestones are in cemetery, regardless of condition or position: 10 standing straight up, 1 toppled, 25 leaning, and 5 broken. Vegetation and water drainage are not problems. The Hebrew-inscribed marble, limestone, and sandstone tombstones are flat-shaped, smoothed and inscribed, some with carved relief decoration, and multi-stone monuments. Some have metal fences around graves and recent cement footing for stones) In this case, the old stone was quite worn and had been replaced by a new marble stone. No known mass graves. The property is used for an orchard. Properties adjacent are agricultural. Compared to 1939, the cemetery boundaries enclose the same area (probably). Rarely, private Jewish visitors visit. Care: patching and cleaning stones and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish resaaidents and Jewish individuals of unknown origin. That is, seasonal clearing of vegetation (twice a year minimum) by regular unpaid "caretaker". The repair to the one stone was done recently, within the past 3-5 years. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, visited the site on 21 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 elderly villagers and Mr. Laurins Mesaros, N0. 88 Sat. Sirbi, Comuna Budesti.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [July 2018]