US Commission No. ROCE-0562 - Satu Mare County, Transylvania
The cemetery is located in Negresti Oas at Victoriei Street no. 7, 3919, judet Satu Mare, Romania at 4752 2326, 269.2 miles NNW of Bucharest and 47 km from Satu Mare. The alternate name is Avasfelsofalu (Hungarian). Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.
- Mayor Ghiriti Gheorghe, Town Hall of Negresti Oas, Victoriei Street, 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 Street no. 9-11, sect. 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.
- "A.D. Xenopol" Institute of History, Lascar Catargi Street, no. 15, 6400- Iasi Judet Iasi, Moldavia , Romania. Tel. 032/212614; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Director: Alexandru Zub.
- Key holder and caretaker: Fetes Ana, Victorie Street no. 7
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 276, by 1900 census was 307 Jewish inhabitants
and in 1930 was 528 Jewish inhabitants. 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. Noteworthy Jewish residents of the community were Goth Moric (1873-1939), painter. The unlandmarked Orthodox, Hasidic cemetery was established in middle of the 19th century. Noteworthy individuals buried in the cemetery: 5 Cohanim. Last known burial was 1984.
The urban flat land, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A masonry wall and fence with a gate that locks surround the site. Approximate pre-WWII size is unknown. Approximate post-WWII size is 82 x 44 m. 100-500 stones are visible. 20-100 stones are 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 middle of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, and concrete. flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated, and double tombstones have Hebrew inscriptions. Some have portraits on stones. No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop at the never vandalized cemetery. Maintenance has been re-erection of stones, patching broken stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents in 1998. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures.
Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey in 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, 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 Fetes Nicoleta, Negresti Oas. [January 2003]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [July 2018]