Alternate name: Sâncel, Sîncel. 46°12' N 23°57' E, 160.5 miles NW of Bucureşti.
I visited the Jewish cemetery in Sancel. An elderly non-Jew is supposedly looking after it, but it is unkempt, strewn with vegetative growth and weeds, and 'protected' by a collapsing fence. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [February 2011]
US Commission Report No. ROCE-0011
United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad 1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 1040, Washington D.C. 20005
Telephone: (202) 254-3824
Fax: (202) 254-3934
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The cemetery is located at Str. M. Eminescu no. 50, com. Sancel, judet Alba, 4612 2357, 160.5 miles NW of Bucharest and 10 km from Blaj. Alternate name: Szancsal (Hungarian), SANCEL (Romanian.) Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Latiu Gheorghe
- The Jewish Community of Alba Iulia, Str. Tudor Vladimirescu no. 4, Alba Iulia, Romania. Phone: 00/40/58/817840
- The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sfintu Vineri Street, no. 9-11, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania
- "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: Hatzegan Ion, Str. M. Eminescu no. 50, com. Sancel, judet Alba. Phone: 058/885204.
- Interested: Abraham Geza, Str. Tudor Vladimirescu no. 4, Alba Iulia, Romania. Phone: 00/40/58/817840
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 41 and in 1930 was 23. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established at the end of the 19th century with last known burial in 1985 (Ghezel Rozalia.) The isolated rural/agricultural flat land has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site.
Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 30 X 100 m. 20-100 stones are visible, all in original location. More than 75% 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 the end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, limestone, and sandstone boulders, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated have Hebrew, Romanian, and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have portraits on stones.
The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Pre- and post-WWII size is the same. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never-vandalized cemetery had no maintenance. Current care is unpaid regular caretaker. No structures.
Lucian Nastasă, Clinicilor Street, no. 19, Cluj, Romania, tel. 064/190107. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. visited the site and completed the survey on November 1, 2000 using the following documentation:
- Tr. Rotaru (coord.), Recensamintul din 1880. Transilvania, Cluj, Edit. Staff, 1997.
- Kalman Weszpremy, A magyarorszagi zsidok statistikaja, Debrecen, 1907.
- Recensamintul general al populatiei Romaniei, 1930, vol.II, publicat de Sabin Manuila, Bucuresti, 1938.
- Lajos Venetianer, A magyar zsidosag tortenete, Budapest, 1922
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. Istoria evreilor din Transilvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, Edit. Enciclopedica, 1994.
- Izvoare si marturii referitoare la evreii din Romania, I-III/1-2, Bucuresti, 1986-1999.
- Ladislau Gyemant, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii (1790-1867), Bucuresti, Edit. Enciclopedica, 2000
On 26 October 2000, Lucian Nastasă interviewed Hatzegan Ion, Str. M. Eminescu no. 50, com. Sancel, judet Alba. Phone: 058/885204. [January 2003]