The cemetery is located in Girbou on the hill of the church, 4690, judet Salaj, 4709 2326, 227.3 miles NNW of Bucharest and 47 km from Dej. Alternate name: Csakigorbo (Hungarian) Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.
- Mayor Costin Ion, Calacea village
- 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, 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: Velica Viorica, no. 88, Girbou
The Jewish population by 1880 census was 22 and in 1930 was 14. The Jews were gathered in May 1944 in the ghetto of Dej and on May 28th, and June 6th, 8th 1944 deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 20th century.
The isolated rural/agricultural hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 20 x 40 m. 1-20 stones are visible, all 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 a constant problem. No special sections.
The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble and sandstone boulders and smoothed and inscribed common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for.
Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are in village residential setting with houses, gardens, orchards, and pastures. Occasionally, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been annual clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by unpaid individuals.
Asst. Prof. Alexandru Pecican, Almasului Str., Bl. R1, apt. 14, 3400 Cluj-Napoca completed the survey on April 29, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Otto Mittelstrass, Historisch-Landeskindlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen. Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- The General Census of the Population of Romania - December 29, 1930, I-III, Bucharest, 1938
- Ernst Wagner, Historisch-statistisches Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen, Koln-Vienna, 1977.
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (in Romanian)
Assist. Prof. Alexandru Pecican visited the site on April 21, 2000 and interviewed Velica Viorica, Girbou. [January 2003]