The cemetery is located in Pitesti, Caporal Dogeanu Street no. 1, 0300, judet Arges, Romania. 4451 2452, 110 km from Bucharest and 67.1 miles WNW of Bucharest. Current town population is over 100,000 with 100-1,000 Jews.
- Mayor Pendiuc Gheorghe, Town Hall of Pitesti, Victoriei Street no. 24, tel.:0040-48-623877
- The Jewish Community of Pitesti, 19 Noiembrie Street no. 1, Romania,
tel.: 0040-48-632300 - 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. - Caretaker: Raducanu Gheorghe, Caporal Dogeanu Street no. 1, Pitesti
The Jewish population by census was 880 in 1889 and 581 in 1930. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in second half of the 19th century. Buried there were Rabbi Haskal Wechsele (d. 1940) and his wife Roza and 4 Cohanim. Last known burial was 2000.
The urban hill, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached by a public road, access is open with permission. Masonry walls with a gate that locks surround the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 1.5 hectares. 100-500 stones are visible. 100-500 stones are in original location. 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 1896. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, and sandstone, slate, and concrete memorial markers have inscriptions in Hebrew, German, and Romanian. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces, iron decorations or letting, bronze decorations or lettering, and other metallic elements and portraits on stones and sculpted monuments. Some have iron decoration or lettering, portraits on stones, and metal fences around graves. The cemetery has Holocaust memorial and marked mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are commercial or industrial. Frequently, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop at the never vandalized cemetery. Maintenance has been re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular caretaker paid by the Jewish community of Pitesti. Within the limits of the cemetery is a preburial house with a tahara and catafalque.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Street no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 6 July 2001 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul general al populatiunei Romaniei din decembrie 1899(The
General Census of the Population of Romania from December 1889), Bucuresti, - Lito-tipografia L. Motzatzeanu, 1900
- Recensamantul general al populatiei Romaniei din 29 decembrie 1930, vol. II (The General Census of the Population of Romania from 29 December 1930, vol. II), Bucuresti, 1938
- N. Iorga, Istoria evreilor in terile noastre (The History of the Jews of our Countries), Bucuresti, 1913.
- M. Schwarzfeld, O ochire asupra istoriei evreilor din timpurile cele mai departate pina la anul 1850, (A look upon the Jewish History from The beginning until 1850), Bucuresti, 1887
- C. Iancu, Evreii din Romania 1866-1919 (The Jews from Romania), Bucuresti
1996
Claudia & Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Raducan Gheorghe in Pitesti. [January 2003]