International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania F-J The cemetery is on a hill, surrounded by an old stone wall like a fortress and isolated in the middle of rich vegetation, looking like a natural reservation. The location on Iosasel Str. is at the place called "on the oxen hill" 4616 2221, 221.6 miles NW of Bucharest and 100 km from Arad. Alternate/former name is Honcto (Hungarian.) Present population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Florea Ioan Gheorghe, Parcului Str., no. 19, Gurahont, phone: +40-57-42.03.09
- The Jewish Community of Arad, 10, Tribunul Dobra Str., 2900 Arad, Romania. Tel. +40-57-281310
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str., no. 9-11, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania
- Interested: "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: unlocked
- Caretaker: no caretaker
- Interested: The Orthodox priest Mot Dorel, Iuliu Maniu Str., no. 78, Gurahont.
The Jewish population by 1880 census was 37 and by 1910 census was 184 Jewish. Last known burial was 1976. The isolated, unlandmarked Orthodox hillside cemetery, between woods and fields, has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A stone wall with an unlocked gate surrounds the cemetery.
Approximate pre- and post-WWII size of cemetery is 65 m x 20 m. Eight stones are visible. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is not a problem. Water drainage at the cemetery is a constant problem. No sections.
The oldest known gravestone dates from the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century limestone and sandstone flat shaped gravestones have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. The national Jewish community owns the property now used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent to cemetery are agricultural. Rarely, private visitors stop at the never-vandalized cemetery with no care. No structures. Weather erosion is a moderate threat.
Asst. Prof. Alexandru Pecican, Almasului Str., Bl. R1, apt. 14, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on September 14, 2000 using the following documentation:
- The Transylvanian Census from 1880, Bucharest, Staff Publishing House, 1997;
- The Transylvanian Census from 1910, Bucharest, Staff Publishing House, 1999;
- The General Census of the Population of Romania - December 29, 1930, I-III, Bucharest, 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994 (in Romanian)
- Coriolan Suciu, Dicþionar istoric al localitãþilor din Transilvania, I-II, Bucharest, 1968.
August 27, 2000, he interviewed Mot Dorel, Gurahont. [January 2003]