International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania F-J GHERTA MICA: Satu Mare County, Transylvania
The cemetery is located at Gherta Mica, 3937, judet Satu Mare, 4756 2314, 277.8 miles NNW of Bucharest and 24 km from Negresti Oas. Alternate name: Kisgerce (Hungarian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Cacau Ion, Town Hall of Gherta Mica, judet Satu Mare
- 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, 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.
- "A.D. Xenopol" Institute of History, Lascar Catargi Str., no. 15, 6400- Iasi (judet Iasi), Romania. Tel. 032/212614; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Director: Alexandru Zub.
- Key holder and caretaker: Palincas Gheorghe, Gherta Mica, no. 191
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 36, in 1900 census was 67, and in 1930 was 51. 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 at end of the 19th century. Last known burial was 1967.
The hill and hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 23 x 16 m. 1-20 stones are visible, some not in original location. 25%-50% 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 granite, limestone, and concrete flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed gravestones have inscriptions in Hebrew and Romanian. No known mass graves. The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard. Adjacent properties are residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop the never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been cleaning stones and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 30 June 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
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992 - Microsoft Auto Route Express 1999
- Zsido Lexicon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929.
- 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, Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii, 1790-1867 (The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of Emancipation 1790-1867), Bucuresti, ed, Enciclopedica, 2000
Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Palincas Ana, Gherta Mica. [January 2003]