US Commission No. ROCE-0375 /RO/MM/61
Alternate/former Hungarian name: Szilăgyegerbegy. 4731 2312, 254.3 miles NNW of Bucharest in Jud. Maramureş. Entering the village from the road from Baia Mare, the road splits a short distance into the village. The main road leads to the left and the village, and the right fork leads up the hill. A further branch to the right near a well leads to the cemetery approximately 150m up on the right side.
- LOCAL: Comunitatea Evreilor (Baia Mare), Str. Someşului Nr. 5, 4800 Baia Mare, Jud. Maramureş, Romania. Tel: (40-62) 211-231. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti.
- REGIONAL: Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, Bucureşti, Tel: (40-1) 613-2538, 143-008. Contact: Mr. Alex Silvan
- CARETAKER: Note: Mr. Vasile Sabău (70) "Vasileu Luşki", Sat. Tămăşeşti n0 152, Com Ariniş, Jud.
Although listed as the caretaker on the Baia Mare list, Mr. Sabau does not consider himself the caretaker anymore. The cemetery in Tămăşeşti is located adjacent to the Orthodox cemetery and the cattle road that leads to the grazing fields. The caretaker listed by the Baia Mare Jewish community is Vasile Sabau, whom we could not find on our first attempt. We decided to try and locate the cemetery on our own but we didn't succeed in finding it. We tried again to locate Mr. Sabau and after a long search we managed to track him down, whereupon he agreed to take us to the site. He lead us back to the very spot, adjacent to the orthodox cemetery, where we had passed only forty minutes before. To our surprise we had been very near to it all along, only the growth of trees and brush was so dense that it had hidden every trace of the cemetery including the fence and the gate. Mr. Sabau told us that a visitor from Israel came and paid him to clear the land and build a fence several years ago. He was very proud to clear away the brush and showed us a portion of the fine fence that he had constructed, but this was as far as we could go without the proper brush clearing tools. Mr. Sabau went on to explain that the visitor from Israel never came again and he hadn't heard from the community in Baia Mare for some time. Over the years he abandoned the responsibility of maintaining the site. Today, it is completely overgrown and is likely only approachable in winter and early spring.
The rural (agricultural) hillside, separate, but near the Orthodox and Pentecostal cemeteries has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open to all via a wooden picket fence and a gate that does not lock. Present size of cemetery is by on-site estimate - 25m x 25m. Number of gravestones in cemetery cannot be determined, but Mr. Sabau said that he thought there were four stones. The vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a seasonal and constant problem that disturbs and damages stones and graves, but water drainage is good all year. Inscriptions on tombstones are in Hebrew. No known mass graves.
The property is now used for Jewish cemetery use only. Properties adjacent are agricultural. Compared to 1939, the cemetery boundaries enclose the same area (probable). Rarely, private visitors (Jewish) visit. Theft of stones is the primary problem encountered between 1945 and the present. No current care. No structures. We were unable to see the graves, but judging by the dense growth probably the stones and graves are being disturbed making vegetation a serious threat.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, visited the site on 24 June 2002 and completed this survey on 30 June 2000 using a list of cemeteries known by Jewish Community in Baia Mare. They have no further information. Other documentation exists. They interviewed local residents.