Aştileu (Hungarian: Esküllő) commune close to the border with Hungary is composed of four villages: Aştileu, Călăţea, Chistag and Peştere. The closest town to Aştileu is Aleşd within walking distance.
The cemetery is located in Astileu, 3576, judet Bihor, Romania at 4702 2223, 253.5 miles NW of Bucharest and 4 km from Alesd. The alternate name: Eskullo (Hungarian) ASTILAU (Romanian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Cocos Ioan, Town Hall of Astileu, judet Bihor, Romania
- The Jewish Community of Oradea, Mihai Viteazu Str. no. 4, 3700 Oradea, Romania, tel. 0040-59-134843 (132587)
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- Interested: "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii Str. 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 6, by 1900 census was 20 and in 1930 was 20. 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 c cemetery was established at end of the 19th century. Last known burial was before World War I.
The rural/agricultural hillside, part of a municipal cemetery, has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 20 x 22 x 18m. 1-20 stones are visible. 1-20 stones are in original location. 1-20 stones are not in original location. 50%-75% of the stones are toppled or broken. Location of stones removed from the cemetery is unknown. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem preventing access. Water drainage is good all year.
The oldest known gravestone dates from end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century sandstone 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 residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. No maintenance. No care now. No structures. Security is a moderate threat. Vegetation is a serious threat. The cemetery is almost completely covered by vegetation.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 6 July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
- Recensamintul general al popula]iei din 29 decembrie 1930, (The General Census of the population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
- Recensamantul general al populatiei Romaniei din 29 decembrie 1930, vol.
II (The General Census of the Population of Romania from 29 December 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 Lexicon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian - Tereza Mozes, Evreii din Oradea (The Jews from Oradea), Bucuresti, Ed. Hasefer, 1997
- 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 had no interviews. [January 2003]