International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania C
The cemetery is located in Cetatea de Balta, near the village, cod 3195, judet Alba, 4615 2410, 156.6 miles NW of Bucharest and 14 km from Tarnaveni. Alternate name: Kukullovar (Hungarian). Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor is unknown
- The Jewish Community of Targu Mures, A. Filimon Str. no. 23, tel. 161810, cod, Tîrgu Mures, Romania
- 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: none
The 1850 Jewish population by census was 23 and from 1930 census was 17. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Targu Mures; and on May 27, 30 and June 8, 1944 were 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 500 m. 1-20 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. No special sections.
The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. The 19th and 20th century granite, marble, and limestone common gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. No known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for orchard. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The cemetery was vandalized occasionally in the last ten years. Maintenance has been clearing vegetation. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by individuals. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
Cosmina Popa, Tatra Str. no. 4, tel. 064/ 128764, Cluj Napoca, 3400 and Ioana Oprea, Bd. 21 Decembrie, 13-15, 064/190849, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on 11 August 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1850. Transilvania (The 1850 Jewish population census. Transylvania) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1996.
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian, Budapest, 1995, in Hungarian
- Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
Cosmina Popa and Ioana Raiciu interviewed Sauber Bernath, Jewish Community of Mures, Targu Mures. [January 2003]