US Commission No. ROCE-0184
Alternate names: Teltsch in German and Telcs in Hungarian. Located at 47°26' 24°24' in Bistrita-Nasaud judet, Transylvania region, 125 km. from Cluj and 21 km. from Nasaud. The present total town population is 4000; Jews. The address of the cemetery is 4520 Telciu, Jud. Bistrita-Nasaud, Romania, on a hill near the Christian cemetery in the County of Bistrita-Nasaud, Transylvania, Romania. The present total town population is 4000 with no Jews.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [June 2016]
- Local officials: Primaria Telciu, 4520 Telciu, Jud. Bistri_a-Nasaud, Romania, Ph.: 363511- ext. 112/192; Vasile Puica- mayor; Dumitru Peter- vicemayor; and Emilia Danciu- secretary. Jewish Community of Bistrita, Str. General Grigore Balan, nr. 9, 4400 Bistri_a, Ph.: 40-63-250998.
- Regional authority: The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, str. Sf. Vineri, nr. 9-11, sector 3, Bucharest, Romania, Ph.: 40-01-6132538 / 6132538, fax: 40-01-3120869, telex: 40-01-10798.
- Interested: Dr. Moshe Carmilly Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, str. Universitatii 7-9, cam. 61, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Director: Professor Ladislau Gyemant. Mircea-Sergiu Moldovan, PhD. Professor and architect, str. Paring, nr. 1, bl. A4, ap. 12, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Ph.: 40-64-161261
- Caretaker with key: Ana Rebrisorean, 4520 Telciu, Jud. Bistrita-Nasaud, Romania.
There were no Jews in 1850, but by 1857 they were 9 of a total population of 1812 and 75 in 1880 of a total of 2410. By 1930, there were 204 Jews. In May 1944, the Jews were confined to the ghetto of Bistrita and were deported to Auschwitz on June 2-6, 1944.. After 1945, only a few came back. In 1990, there were only two brothers, living in Nasaud, who tried to obtain their old properties in Telciu. The Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established in the 19th century, 10 km. away from congregation. There is not another Jewish cemetery around for 15 km.
The rural (agricultural) hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, it is open with permission via a continuous fence and a usually unlocked gate. The approximate size of cemetery before World War II and now is 505 sq.m. + 240 sq.m. reserve = 745 sq.m. 55 gravestones are in cemetery, 49 of which are in the original positions. 6 are fallen or broken. The oldest known gravestone is 140 years old. The marble, limestone, sandstone, or slate, flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves or structures. The Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania owns and uses it only as a Jewish cemetery.
Adjacent properties are agricultural, residential, and a Christian cemetery. The cemetery is the same size as it was before 1939. It is visited rarely by private visitors. It was possibly vandalized during World War II but not in the last ten years. Care has included clearing vegetation annually and fixing fence and gate by Bistrita Jewish Community that did restoration in the 1960s and 1970s. Bistrita Jewish Congregation of pays the regular caretaker. Weather erosion and vegetation are the only moderate threats.
Mircea-Sergiu Moldovan, PhD. Professor and architect, str. Paring, nr. 1, bl. A4, ap. 12, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Ph.: 40-64-161261 completed form on April 25, 1999 after a visit on April 15, 1999. Emilia Danciu, Ana Rebrisoran was interviewed.