Alternate names: Kisvárda [Hun], Kleinwardein [Ger], Kishvarda, Klaymvardayn, Virdayn Katan [Heb]. 48°13' N, 22°05' E, 60 miles E of Miskolc. 1900 Jewish population: 2,614. Sefer yizkor le-kehilat Kleinwardein ve-ha-seviva (Tel Aviv, 1980) [February 2009] ShtetLink. JOWBR: burial listings. [September 2010]
Click here to download the English translation of Istvan Nezo's book about the history of the Kisvarda Jewish community.
SYNAGOGUE:
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- The Ten Commandments on the floor in the old prayerhouse beside the synagogue, July 1998.
- The Prayer House has been restored, after protests at the loss of this historical link to a lost Jewish community. (July 2001 photo. The attendant in the museum next door (the former synagogue) has the key and opens it for visitors who request to see the "imahaz" (prayer house). The synagogue (now known as the Retkozi Muzeum) is located in a pleasant spot across from a little park beside the main square in Kisvarda. The remaining prayer house is located in the yard between the synagogue and the store shown in the photo. (As of 2004, the Museum was open April to October, 9-12 and 1 to 4:30, closed Mondays. Phone 45/405-154.)
- The side entrance of the former synagogue.
- The ceiling of the former synagogue.
- The memorial room in the side lobby of the former Kisvarda synagogue.
CEMETERY: The Kisvarda Jewish cemetery has a full time attendant (Jánosné Lovász, Árpád utca 4) who lives with his family in a small house near the entrance. To enter the cemetery, ask him to unlock the gate. The old cemetery is today''s school sports field. The graves are underneath, but stones have been moved to the new cemetery. Cemetery photo [March 2009]
Heritage Foundation erected 700 tombstones in the cemetery and was instrumental in having a concrete fence built. [September 2010]
The following photo links were available here as of February 2009:
- A closer view of the memorial plaque with the names of Holocaust victims.
- A monument remembering the victims of the Holocaust was erected near the centre of the cemetery in 2005.
- The cemetery in Kisvarda. Another view.
- The new front wall and gates of the Kisvarda cemetery dedicated in June 2001.
photos [September 2002]
US Commission No. 000043
Alternate name: Kleinwardein in German and Varda. Kisvarda is located in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, (48º13 22º05), 42km from Nyiregyhaza. Cemetery: on the border of the town, E of center. Land record: 3714-16 hrsz. Town population is 25,000-100,000 with less than ten Jews.
- Local: Polgarmesteri Hivatal of Kisvarda Szent Laszlo ut 7-11. Ph: 19.
- Regional: Budapesti Orthodox Hitkozseg, of Dob u.35, H-1075 Budapest Phone: (011-361) 132-4333.
- Interested: Retkozi Muzeum of Kisvarda and Izraelita Hitkozseg of Nyiregyhaza Martirok tere 6. Lovaszne and Izraelita Hitkozseg of Nyiregyhaza Martirok tere 6. Karadi Gabor of MAZSIHISZ, Sip U.12, H-1075, Budapest, Phone: (011-361) 122-6475/78. Kisvarda es Kornyeke of Egyesulet Izrael Bizottsaga Israel.
- Keyholder: Lovaszne of Kisvarda Official quarters in cemetery.
1941 Jewish population was 3770. In 1844, Kisvarda became an independent community. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1796. Avraham Weinberger, Rosenbaum Lits Segal and Landau Mose Cvi are buried jere. The last known Hasidic Orthodox Jewish burial was 1988. Ajak and Anarcs (each 20km away) used this cemetery. The isolated suburban hillside site has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a fence with a locked gate. The approximate size before WWII was 2.50 hectares and now is 21.38 hectares. [?]
500-5000 gravestones, less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 19th-20th centuries. Special sections exist for men, women, unmarried men, unmarried women, rabbis, Cohanim, children and suicides. The marble, granite, limestone and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration or double tombstones have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. The cemetery contains special memorial mounuments but no known mass graves. The pre-burial house has a tahara (table), a catafalque, and wall inscriptions. The national Jewish community owns the cemetery. Adjacent properties are commercial or industrial. Boundaries were smaller than in 1939 because of commercial or industrial development. Jewish individuals abroad re-erected stones, patched broken stones, cleaned stones, cleared vegetation, and fixed gate. Occasional individuals clear or clean. Caretaker is paid by MAZSIHISZ, Sip U.12, H-1075, Budapest. Weather erosion and vegetation are moderate threats, pollution (metal foundry on adjacent property pollutes) and incompatible nearby development are very serious threats.
Karadi Gabor and Peter Wirth completed survey on 3/11/91 using Dr. Jolesz Karoly: Kisvarda es Kornyeke Asidosaga; Newmann Albert: A Szabolcsi Zsidok;Venetianer Lajos: A Magyar Zsidosag Tortenete Magyar Zsido Okleveltar, Encyclopaedia Judaica. Other documentation exists but was not used. Wirth [?] visited site on 11/08/1991.
UPDATE: One wall erected. 900 tombstones up righted. Second and last wall currently being completed. Source: Toby Mendlowitz, Assistant Director. HFPJC, E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ';document.getElementById('cloakcf2f2e1fc96afff3d407b9e4ad808628').innerHTML += ''+addy_textcf2f2e1fc96afff3d407b9e4ad808628+'<\/a>'; [July 2004]