US Commission No. ROCE-0567
The cemetery is located in Pir, 3839, judet Satu Mare, 4728 2222, 275.6 miles NW of Bucharest and 24 km from Tasnad. Alternate name: Szilagyper (Hungarian). Present town population is under 1,000. with no Jews.
- Mayor Tempfli Mihaly, Town Hall of Pir, judet Satu Mare
- The Jewish Community of Satu Mare, Decebal Street no. 4A, 3900 Satu Mare, Romania, tel. 0040-61-713703
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sfintu Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania.
- "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii Street, 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: none
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 207, by 1900 census was 175, and in 1930 was 147. In 1789-1791, one of the famous ritual murder accusations against the Jews from Hungary and Transylvania occurred. Among those accused was Rabbi Moshe Osterreicher from Carei. The Jews were condemned to death but their appeal to the Government brought their discharge. 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 cemetery was established in second half of the 19th century. Last known burial was inter-war period. 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-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 60 x 40 m. 20-100 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 a seasonal problem preventing access. Water drainage is good all year.
Cannot determine if cemetery has/had special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from 1884. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, limestone. Concrete, and local stone flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed and double tombstones common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves. The local Jewish community owns the property. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery had no maintenance. No care now. No structures. Security is a serious threat: broken fence, a gate that does not lock and far away from the village. Weather erosion and vegetation are moderate threats.
. Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey 26 July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania (1880 Transylvania Jewish Population Census.) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. (1900 Transylvania Jewish Population Census) coord.: 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
- Ladislau Gyemant, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii, 1790-1867 (The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of Emancipation 1790-1867), Bucuresti, ed, Enciclopedica, 2000
- 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 interviewed Dan Alexa, no. 42, Pir. [January 2003]