The cemetery is located at Caransebes,1650, Zabranului Str. no. 3, judet Hunedoara, 4525 2213, 201.6 miles WNW of Bucharest and 40 km from Resita. Alternate names: Karansebes (Hungarian), Karansebech (German). CARANSEBESUL NOU, CARANSEBESU NOU (Romanian.) Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.
- Mayor Mura Ion, Town Hall of Caransebes, 1610, judet Caras Severin
- The Jewish Community of Resita, Mihai Viteazu Str. no. 8, Romania, tel. 0040-55-211048
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 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: Buzan Maria, Zabranului Str. no. 3, Caransebes, judet Hunedoara
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 202 and by 1900 census was 388. The cemetery was established in second half of the 18th century. Noteworthy individuals buried in the cemetery: one Cohan: Emanuel Grunbaum (1875-1921.) The Jewish community owns the still-active Orthodox and Neolog cemetery. Otelul Rosu Jewish community also used this unlandmarked cemetery about 8 km from Caransebes. The urban hill, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open with permission. A masonry wall with a gate that locks surrounds the site.
Approximate pre-WWII and post-WWII size is 200 x 50 m. 100-500 stones are visible. 1-20 stones are 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.
The cemetery has special sections for atheists. The oldest known gravestone dates from 1750. The 18th to 20th century marble, granite, limestone, and sandstone, iron, and concrete flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated, double tombstones, and sculpted monuments have Hebrew, German, Hungarian, and Romanian inscriptions. Some have metallic elements, portraits on stones, and metal fences around graves. Cemetery contains memorial to Jewish soldiers from World War I, No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard.
Adjacent properties are residential. Occasionally, 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. Current care is regular caretaker paid by the Jewish community. Within the limits of the cemetery is an empty preburial house.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey in September 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
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Buzan Maria, Caransebes. [January 2003]