ALTERNATE NAMES: BĂTARCI [ROM], BATARCS [HUN], BATARSCH [YID]. 48°02' N, 23°10' E, 21 miles NE of Satu Mare (Szatmár), 10 miles SE of Vynohradiv (Nagyszőllős). Jewish population: 112 (in 1880), 150 (in 1920). Bătarci is a commune composed of four villages: Bătarci, Comlăuşa, Şirlău and Tămăşeni.
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 91: "Batarci".
- Pinkas HaKehilot, Romania, Vol. 2 (1980), p. 86: "Batarci/Batarcs".
- JewishGen Hungary SIG
- JewishGen Romania SIG
The cemetery is located at Batarci, 3933, judet Satu Mare, 4802 2310, 285.3 miles NNW of Bucharest and 44 km from Satu Mare. Alternate names: Batarcs (Hungarian); Batartsch (German) Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Sonea Ioan, Budacu de Jos
- The Jewish Community of Satu Mare, Decebal Str. no. 4A, 3900 Satu Mare, Romania, tel. 0040-61-713703
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania.
- "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.
- Key holder and caretaker: Paul Iacob, Batarci, no. 1
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 112, by 1900 census was 214, and in 1930 was 201. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Satu Mare and on May 19, 22, 26, 29, 30, 31, and June 1 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox, Hasidic cemetery was established in second half of the 19th century. Noteworthy individuals buried in the cemetery: one Cohan. Last known burial was inter-war period.
The hill and flat land, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is unknown. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 37 x 34 m. 20-100 stones are visible, some not 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 good all year.
No special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from second half of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, and limestone, concrete, and local stone flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. The cemetery has Holocaust memorial dedicated to two local families of Hasidic rabbis: Itzak ben Itzak Feir and Iona ben Moshe Waim. No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard. Adjacent properties are in village residential setting with houses, gardens, orchards, and pastures. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erection of stones, patching broken stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents in 1985. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a seasonal problem preventing access.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania 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 Lexicon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
- 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
- Ladislau Gyemant, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii, 1790-1867 (The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of Emancipation 1790-1867), Bucuresti, ed, Enciclopedica, 2000
- 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 Paul Ileana, Batarci [January 2003]