International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania D-F
The cemetery is located at Episcopia Bihor, 3700, Oradea, judet Bihor, Romania at 4706 2154, 273.5 miles NW of Bucharest and 150 km from Cluj Napoca. Alternate names: Biharpuspoki (Hungarian) Episcopia Bihor (Romanian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with fewer than ten Jews.
- Mayor Filip Petre, Town Hall of Oradea, Unirii Str. no. 1, 3700, judet Bihor, Romania, tel. 0040-59-137000
- 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 31, by 1900 census was 37, and in 1930 was 40. 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 The cemetery was established at end of the 19th century with last known burial in inter-war period.
The suburban hill, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 16 x 12 m. 1-20 stones are visible with 1-20 stones not in original location. More than 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 damaging stones. Water drainage is good all year.
The oldest known gravestone dates from end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble and concrete 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 agricultural and local cemetery. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop at the never vandalized cemetery. No maintenance. No care now. No structures. Security is a serious threat (no fence, no gate, far from the town.) Vegetation is a serious threat. (The cemetery is almost covered by vegetation.)
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073
visited the site and completed the survey on 10 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 Lexikon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe, History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994; Budapest 1995 in Romanian and Hungarian
- 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
- Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- Microsoft Auto Route Express, 1999
Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu conducted no interview. [January 2003]