46°37' N 21°31' E, 268.0 miles NW of Bucureşti. Zerind is a commune in Arad County of over 5100 ha situated in the lower part of the Crișurilor Plateau at Romania's western border on the Crișul Negru's valley with the village of Zerind 56 km far from Arad, Corbești, Arad and Iermata Neagră. [August 2009]
US Commission No. ROCE-0057 -The cemetery in Zerind is at the place called "La cimitir", inside the Calvinist cemetery, 2991, judet Arad, 4637 2131, 268.0 miles NW of Bucharest and 54 km from Arad. Surrounded by the Calvinist cemetery, the general impression is almost good. The alternate name is Nagyzerind (Hungarian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Osvar Zoltan, Zerind, no. 307, judet Arad;
- The Jewish Community of Arad, 10, Tribunul Dobra Street, 2900 Arad, Romania. Tel. +40-57-281310
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sfintu Vineri street, no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- " Dr. Moshe Carmilly", Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universităţii 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: Gal Mihaly, Zerind, no. 122, Romania
The Jewish population by 1880 census was 32 and by 1910 census was 82. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial in 1968. The isolated rural/agricultural flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. A masonry wall with a non-locking gate surrounds the site.
Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 16 m X 20 m. 20-100 stones are in original location. All gravestones are 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 not a problem. Water drainage is a constant problem.
No special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble and granite, and "other" flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed. common gravestones have inscriptions in Hebrew and Hungarian. No known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural and cemetery. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop at the never vandalized cemetery had no maintenance. No care now. No structures.
Elisabeta Pecican, Revolution Avenue, no. 35, apt. 31, Arad, 2900 completed the survey on September 10, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Coriolan Suciu, Dicţionar istoric al localităţilor din Transilvania, I-II, Bucharest, 1968
- Marki Sandor, Arad varmegye es Arad szabad kiralyi varos tortenete, Arad, 1895
- The Jewish population by 1880 census, Bucharest, Edit. Staff, 1999.
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (in Romanian)
- Elisabeta Pecican visited the site on September 9, 2000 and interviewed Gal Mihaly, Zerind. [January 2003]