Gherla Jews Association in Israel: Our contact in Gherla is the last jJew, Zoltan Blum, 83 years old He is the key keeper of synagogue and cemetery in Gherla We also know about some old jewish graves in Barla, a small village near Gherla. Please don't hesitate to contact us for any help. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. [July 2011]
CEMETERY: The cemetery is located at Gherla, Bradet, Dumbravei str, 3475, judet Cluj, 4702 2355, 208.1 miles NNW of Bucharest and 35 km from Cluj. Alternate names: Szamosujvar (Hungarian); Neuschloss (German). Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with no Jews.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [June 2016]
- Mayor Pop Nicolae, Aleea Brazilor, Gherla
- The Jewish Community of Cluj, Tipografiei Str. 25, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Tel. 0040-64-196600
- 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: David Culcear, Dumbravei Str., no. 35, Gherla
The 1857 Jewish population by census was 162 and in 1930 was 1019. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Dej and on May 28 and June 6, 8, 1944 deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 1993.
The urban hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has Jewish symbols on wall or gate. The sign mentions Jews. Reached by a public road and crossing private land, access is open with permission. A fence with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 36 m. x 212 m. 100-500 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 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, sandstone, and "other" gravestones have Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces, iron decorations or letting, bronze decorations or lettering, other metallic elements, portraits on stones, sculpted monuments, and multi-stone monuments. Some have metal fences around graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard. Adjacent properties are recreational. Occasionally, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. Within the limits of the cemetery is an ohel.
Assistant Professor Alexandru Pecican, Almasului Str., Bl. R1, apt. 14, 3400 Cluj-Napoca
completed the survey and visited the site on May 9, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Otto Mittelstrass, Historisch-Landeskindlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen. Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- Ernst Wagner, Historisch-statistisches Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen, Koln-Vienna, 1977.
- The General Census of the Population of Romania - December 29, 1930, I-III, Bucharest, 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (in Romanian)
He interviewed David Culcear, Gherla. [January 2003]