International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

DEJ: Cluj judet

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Coat of arms of Dej Alternate names: Dej [Rom], Dés [Hun], Desch [Ger], Des, Deesch. 47°09' N, 23°52' E, 1900 Jewish population: 1,840.

Also see Ciubanca

CEMETERY:

The cemetery is located at Dej, 4650, Tiblesului Str., no. 16, judet Cluj, 4 709 2352, 216.2 miles NNW of Bucharest and 54 km from Cluj. Alternate name: Des (Hungarian). Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.

[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [June 2016]

  • Mayor Manu Ioan, Dej
  • The Jewish Community of Cluj, Tipografiei Str. 25, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Tel. 0040-64-196600
  • The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str., no 9-11, Sector 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.
  • Key holder and caretaker: Lumnitzki Iosif, Tibles Str., no. 16, Dej

The 1838 Jewish population was 3, in 1857 was 122 and in 1930 was 3,346 out of a total population of 15,110. 18. The first Jewish community appeared in 1855. In 1856, the synagogue was founded. The first rabbi was Menachem Mendel Panet in 1853h. In May 1944, this was one of the thirteen centralized ghettos of Transylvania. On May 28 and June 6, 8, 1944 the Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Noteworthy Jewish residents of the community were rabbis. The landmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century. Last known burial was 1951.

The isolated urban hillside cemetery has a sign in Romanian mentioning Jews and the Jewish community. Reached by a public road, access is open with permission. A fence with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 5800 m2. 500-5000 stones are visible, all 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. The cemetery has special sections.

The oldest known gravestone dates from 19th century. Tombstones date from the 19th century marble, granite, limestone, sandstone, slate, and "other" have Hebrew, Hungarian, Romanian inscriptions. Some have metal fences around graves. The cemetery has Holocaust memorial and one to pogrom victims. The cemetery contains marked mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential. Occasionally, organized Jewish group or pilgrimage tours, private visitors, and local residents visit. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been re-erecting, patching, and cleaning stones and fixing wall and gate by Jewish individuals within the country and the government in 1995 Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. Within the limits of the cemetery is more than one ohel. Pollution is a moderate.

Assistant Professor Alexandru Pecican, Almasului Str., Bl. R1, apt. 14, 3400 Cluj-Napoca
completed the survey on April 25, 2000 using the following documentation:

  • Otto Mittelstrass, Historisch-Landeskindlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen. Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
  • Ernst Wagner, Historisch-statistisches Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen, Koln-Vienna, 1977.
  • 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)

He visited the site April 17, 2000and interviewed Lumnitzki Iosif, Dej. [January 2003]

 

 

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Parent Category: EASTERN EUROPE