47°29' N 23°18' E, 249.8 miles NNW of Bucureşti. Ulmeni (formerly Şilimeghiu; Hung: Sülelmed; Ger: Ulmendorf) is a town in Maramureş judet on the left bank of the Someş river that administers seven villages: Arduzel (Szamosardó), Chelinţa (Kelence), Mânău (Monó), Someş-Uileac (Szilágyújlak), Tohat (Szamostóhát), Ţicău (Szamoscikó) and Vicea (Vicsa).
US Commission No. ROCE-0378 Reference Number: RO/MM/76
Alternate Hungarian name: Szamostóhăt. Located in jud. Maramures at 47°29' 23°18', 249.8 miles NNW of Bucharest. The cemetery is located in the back of the gardens behind the home of the caretaker at No. 48.
LOCAL: the Jewish Community of Baia Mare did not know this site at the time of the visit. 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 Romania, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, Bucureşti, Tel: (40-1) 613-2538, 143-008. Contact: Mr. Alex Silvan
CARETAKER: Tohatan Ioan and Maria. Satul Tohat No. 48, Comuna Ulmeni, Judeţul Maramureş, Romania.
Following a depressing visit to the cemetery in Ulmeni, where we were afraid to walk in due to the large trash filled pools (of chemicals?) from the surrounding light industries that had killed much of the surrounding vegetation, the cemetery in Tohat was an unexpected surprise. Mrs. Tohatan's father purchased this land from a Jewish man shortly before WWII with the promise that he would look after the cemetery. Mr. Tohatan Ioan married Maria and together the two have been looking after this site on a regular basis since her father passed away. During the years of collectivization, the local collective administrator attempted to have the stones removed and the land plowed over to make way for larger fields. The Tohatans argued very strongly that the cemetery was an extension of their own garden and that they would continue to take time out of their own personal schedules to take care of the land. For almost sixty years, the cemetery has been looked after by members of this family, who regular cleared vegetation and right any stones that begin to lean from the effects of time and the environment. All six of the stones in the cemetery are in marvelous condition and stand straight up. Although there is no fence, traces of plantings indicate that hedges might have surrounded it. The caretakers have had no contact with either the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti. This was a wonderful example of how a couple of individuals can make all the difference in the world.
Mrs. Tohatan recalled that there was a Jewish woman in town named Rosenblum Roza, who had a daughter named Rifke. She believes that Rifke suffered from diabetes and died while away at the doctors in the town of Şomcuta Mare, where she was buried. The isolated rural (agricultural) flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by private property, access is open with permission. Approximate size of cemetery before WWII and now is 225 square meters. Vegetation and water drainage are not problems.
The Hebrew inscribed limestone and sandstone tombstones are flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief decoration, some with traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves. Properties adjacent to the cemetery are agricultural and residential, a village residential setting, e.g. very near to houses with adjacent gardens, orchards and pastures) The cemetery is no longer visited. The cemetery never was vandalized. No structures.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, visited the site on 26 June 2002 and completed this survey on 29 June 2000 using a list of cemeteries known by Jewish Community in Baia Mare. They have no further information. Other documentation exists. They interviewed caretakers Mr. & Mrs. Ioan Tohatan.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [July 2018]