Erdőbénye. 48°16' N, 21°22' E, 17 miles SW of Sátoraljaújhely, 29Reclaiming a mikvey and cemetery photos miles ENE of Miskolc.. Jewish population: 332 (in 1880), 153 (in 1930).
- JewishGen Hungary SIG
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 366: "Erdobenye".
- Wikipedia: "At one point the leader of the local Jewish population was Rabbi Chaim Friedlander, author of the homoletic "Tal Chaim". He was the son-in-law of Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh of Liska (alternative name for Olaszliszka), and when his father-in-law died, Rabbi Chaim Friedlander took over his father-in-laws seat in Liska Hasidic dynasty." [Apr 2014]
CEMETERY:
- Jewish cemetery keys are in Dózsa György Street. well-kept cemetery[March 2009]
- US Commission No. 000013
- Erdobenye is located in Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen (48º16' 21º22'), 55km from Miskolc. Cemetery: E of town center, land record 224 hrsz. Town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Polgarmesteri Hivatal of Erdobenye Kossuth U.27 Ph: 2.
- Regional: Budapesti Orthodox Hitkozseg, of Dob u.35, H-1075 Budapest Phone: (011-361) 132-4333.
- The pre-WWII Jewish population (census) was 153. The Jewish cemetery was established in 18th century with last known Hasidic Orthodox burial in 1950. The isolated flat urban site has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a broken masonry wall and unlocked gate. Pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 0.22 hectares. 100-500 gravestones, 1-20 not in original location and 25-50% toppled or broken, date from 18th-19th centuries. The marble, limestone and sandstone finely smoothed and inscribed stones or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves or structures exist. The national Jewish community owns the cemetery. The cemetery was vandalized occasionally in the last ten years, but not since restoration. There is no maintenance. Security and erosion are serious threats; vegetation is moderate threat.
- Lowy Lajos of Tokaj, Rakoozi ut 41 completed survey on 12/9/91 using: Peter Wirth, itt van elrejtve. He visited site on 12/09/91.
- In 1992, down the road from the cemetery lives an elderly Gentile lady named Annish Gaal-Szabo (at Kossuth ut 76 (16), Erdobeny. Her husband was Lazlo.) She speaks no English, only Hungarian and German. We hired a very helpful guide and translator: Her mother was Jewish; and she definitely considers herself Jewish. Her name is Marton Agnes, home address Budapest 1072, Majakovszkij u. 47. II. 30, Budapest. Her home telephone is 1415-229. Office phone 1223-488. She is a paid professional guide. In 1992, we estimated about 50 stones standing and more toppled. We were told that a few visitors come from the US and Canada annually. The cemetery is not maintained and is overgrown. The Erdobenye family told us that after WWII, the local population rebuilt their houses using stones from the synagogue building. Source: Les Simon; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [date?]
[UPDATE] Reclaiming a mikveh and cemetery photos [February 2018]