US Commission No. ROCE-0115 -
The cemetery is located in Soimi, 3632, judet Bihor, Romania at 4641 2207, 247.4 miles NW of Bucharest and 16 km from Beius. Alternate name: Solyom (Hungarian.) Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Barlea Ioan, Town Hall of Soimi, 3632, judet Bihor
- The Jewish Community of Oradea, Mihai Viteazu Street no. 4, 3700 Oradea, Romania, tel. 0040-59-134843 (132587)
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sfintu Vineri Street no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- Interested: "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.
- Caretaker with key: none
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 10; by 1900 census was 15 and in 1930 was 8. 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 at end of the 19th century with last known burial in inter-war period.
The isolated hill and hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is approximately 10 x 8 m. 1-20 stones are visible. 1-20 stones are not in original location. 25%-50% 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 and disturbing grave and stones, and damaging stones. Water drainage is good all year.
The oldest known gravestone dates from end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble and local stone flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed common gravestones. Have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop at the never vandalized cemetery. No maintenance. No care now. No structures. Security is a very severe threat: (no fence, no gate, far from village.) Vegetation is a very serious threat. The cemetery is completely covered by forest.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073
visited the site and completed the survey on 10 July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania (1880 Transylvania Jewish Population Census.) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. (1900 Transylvania Jewish Population Census) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
- Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 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
- Zsido Lexikon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe, History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994; Budapest 1995 in Romanian and Hungarian
- Izvoare si marturii referitoare la evreii din Romania (Sources and Testimonies on the Jews in Romania), vol. III/1-2, coord. L. Gyemant, L. Benjamin, Bucuresti, Ed. Hasefer, 1999
- 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 Burz Ioan, 10. 07. 2000, Soimi, no. 36. [January 2003]