US Commission No. ROCE-0172 -
The cemetery is located in Romuli, no. 53, cod 4521, judet Bistrita, 4732 2426, 228.5 miles NNW of Bucharest and 50 km. from Nasaud. Alternate name: Romoly (Hungarian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [June 2016]
- Mayor Ivan Nicolae, Romuli
- The Jewish Community of Bistrita, Gr. Balan Street, 71, cod 4400, Bistrita, Romania
- 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: Salvar Liviut, no. 53, Romuli
The 1857 Jewish population by census was 7, by 1880 census was 78, by 1900 census was 461, and in 1930 was 333. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Bistrita and in June 2-6, 1944 were deported to Auschwitz The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 20th century.
The isolated hill and hillside has no sign or marker. Reached via private road, access is open with permission. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 25 mX80 m. 20-100 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, and limestone boulders, flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief decorated gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves.
A private individual/s owns the property used for orchard. Adjacent properties are residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been clearing vegetation. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by unpaid individuals. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
Cosmina Popa, Tatra Street no. 4, tel. 064/ 128764, Cluj Napoca, 3400 and Ioana Raiciu, Bd. 21 Decembrie, 13-15, 064/190849, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on July 27, 2000 using the following documentation:
- The General Census of the Population of Transylvania- 1857, Bucharest, Ed. Staff, 1996
- Wager, Ernest. Historisch- Statistisches- Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen- Ernst Wagner, Ed. Bohlau, 1977
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. Istoria evreilor din Transilvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (Romanian version); Budapest, 1995 (Hungarian version)
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localităţilor din Transilvania, I-II, Bucharest, 1968.
- Recensamintul general al populatiei din Transilvania ? 1930 decembrie 29, I-III, Bucharest, 1938