International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania C The cemetery is located at Ciceu Giurgesti, no. 181, judet Bistriţa, 4715 2401, 218.8 miles NNW of Bucharest and 15 km from Dej. Alternate name: Csicsogyorgyfalva (Hungarian). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [june 2016]
- Mayor Zeic Wilhelm Erhard, Teaca
- The Jewish Community of Bistrita, Gr. Balan Str., 71, cod 4400, Bistrita, Romania
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 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: Cimpean Valer, Ciceu Giurgesti, no. 181
The 1850 Jewish population by census was 69 and in 1930 was 110. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Dej and on May 28, June 2,8 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 1940.
The isolated rural/agricultural hill 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 2500 m. 100-500 stones are visible. 20-100 stones are 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.
No special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. Tombstones date from the 19th and 20th century limestone and granite boulders, flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, carved relief decorated gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves.
The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are a village setting with houses, gardens, orchards, and pastures. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erection of stones, patching broken stones, cleaning stones, clearing vegetation, and fixing wall by local non-Jewish residents in Rus Titu, Ciceu Giurgesti, 1999. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by unpaid individuals. No structures.
Cosmina Popa, Tatra Str. 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 20, 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
They interviewed Cimpean Valer, Ciceu Giurgesti. [January 2003]