US Commission No. ROCE-0195
The cemetery is in Radauti-Prut, Botosani judet, Moldavia region at 48°24' 26°49', 112 km from Suceava. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Local Authority: Mayor Alupoaie Gheorghe, com. Radauti-Prut, Suceava judet.
- Religious Authority: The Jewish Community of Botosani, Calea Nationala no. 220. Phone: 514659.
- Regional Authority: The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri str., no. 9-11, sector 3, Bucharest, Romania.
- Interested: "A.D. Xenopol" Institute of History, Lascar Catargi str., no. 15, 6400- Iasi (Iasi judet), Romania. Tel. 032/212614; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Director: Alexandru Zub.
- Caretaker and keyholder: Radulescu Vasile, com. Radauti-Prut, Botosani judet
The 1899 Census registered 132 Jewish inhabitants. The 1930 Census registered 768 Jewish inhabitants. Between June and July 1944, many Jewish families were deported in Oltenia. This Jewish cemetery was established in the 19th century. The last known Jewish burial in cemetery was in the 20th century. The unlandmarked Conservative cemetery is 3 km. from the congregation that used it.
The isolated rural (agricultural) hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by crossing private property, access is open with permission. A continuous masonry wall and a gate that locks surround. The pre- and post-WWII size is 120 m X 160 m. 20 to 100 gravestones are visible. 1 to 20 are not in original location. 50% - 75% of the tombstones are broken or toppled. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem, preventing access. Water drainage is good all year.
Tombstones date from the end of the 19th century through the 20th century. The marble, limestone, and sandstone tombstones are rough stones or boulders, flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, and flat stones with carved relief decoration. Some have portraits on stones. Inscriptions are in Hebrew and Romanian.
The national Jewish community owns the cemetery property used for agricultural purposes. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Compared to 1939, the cemetery boundaries enclose the same area. Rarely, private visitors (Jewish or non-Jewish) and local residents local residents stop. The never vandalized cemetery has no maintenance, but has a regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. Security is a moderate threat. Weather erosion, vegetation, and vandalism are slight threats.
Lucian Nastasa, Clinicilor str., no. 19, Cluj, Romania, tel. 064/190107. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. completed the survey on July 24, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Leonida Colescu, Analiza rezultatelor recensamîntului general al populatiei Romaniei de la 1899, cu o prefată de Sabin Manuila, Bucuresti, Institutul de statistica, 1944.
- I.M. Dinescu, Fiii neamului de la 1859 la 1915. Statistica sociala pe întelesul tuturora, Iasi, Institutul de Arte Grafice N.V.Stefaniu, 1920.
- Pinkas Hakehillot, Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities Romania, I-II, Jerusalem, 1980.
- I. Kara, Inscriptii funerare ebraice din judetul Botosani, în "Memoria Antiquitatis", II, 1970, p. 523-531.
- George I. Lahovari, Marele dictionar geografic al Romaniei, 5 vol., Bucuresti, Edit.Socec, 1899.
- Marius Mircu, Pogromurile din Bucovina si Dorohoi, Bucuresti, Edit.Glob, 1945.
- E. Schwarzfeld, Din istoria evreilor: împopularea, reîmpopularea si întemeierea tîrgurilor si tîrgusoarelor în Moldova, Bucuresti, 1894.
- N. Sutu, Notiti statistice asupra Moldaviei, Iasi, 1852.
He visited on July 23, 2000 and interviewed Radulescu Vasile, com. Radauti-Prut, Botosani judet. [June 2002]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [April 2016]