Călăraşi [Rom]l Bulgarian: Кълъра 44°12' N, 27°20' E , SE Romania, 5 miles from the Bulgarian border. [Not Călăraşi (Kalarash), Moldova.]. 1900 Jewish population: 357.
US Cpmmission Report:
The cemetery is located at Calarasi, Oborului Str. no. 5, 8500, judet Calarasi, Romania. 4412 2720, 63.0 miles ESE of Bucharest and 135 km from Constanta. Current town population is over 100,000 with 10-100 Jews.
- Mayor Radu Dobre, Town Hall of Calarasi, 1 Decembrie 1918 Str., no. 35, tel.: 0040-42-313492
- The Jewish Community of Pitesti, 19 Noiembrie Str. no. 1, Romania, tel.: 0040-48-632300
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 3, Bucharest, Romania
- 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.
- Caretaker: Micu Aniculae, Oborului Str. no. 5, Calarasi
The Jewish population by census was 357 in 1889 and 327 in 1930. Last known burial in the unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was 1953. The urban flat land, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A masonry wall surrounds the site with a gate that locks.
Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 100 x 50 m. 100-500 stones are visible. 100-500 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 end of the 19th century. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, limestone, and concrete smoothed and inscribed, carved relief-decorated, double tombstones, and sculpted monuments. Some have portraits on stones and metal fences around graves. Inscriptions are in Hebrew and Romanian. No known mass graves.
The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery and orchard. Adjacent properties are residential and the Turkish cemetery. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors and local residents stop at the never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been cleaning stones and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. No care.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 9 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 at the Jewish History from the beginning until 1850), Bucuresti, 1887
- C. Iancu, Evreii din Romania 1866-1919 (The Jews from Romania), Bucuresti, 1996
Claudia Ursutiu interviewed Micu Aniculae, 09. 07. 2001, Calarasi. [January 2003]