International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania D-F The cemetery is located in Derna, 3793, judet Bihor, Romania at 4712 2218, 264.4 miles NW of Bucharest and 28 km from Marghita. Alternate Hungarian name is Felsoderna. Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.
- Mayor Filip Victor, Town Hall of Derna, judet Bihor
- The Jewish Community of Oradea, Mihai Viteazu Str. no. 4, 3700 Oradea, Romania, tel. 0040-59-134843 (132587)
- The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 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.
- Caretaker with key: none
The 1880 Jewish population by census was 10, was 65 in 1900 census, and was 24 in 1930. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the Oradea ghetto and on May 23, 25, 28-30, and June 1-5, 27 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in end of 19th century. Last known burial was 1997.
The hill, part of a municipal cemetery, has no sign or marker. Reached via other public property (school yard,) access is open to all. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 12 x 12 m. 1-20 stones are visible, not all in original location. 50%-75% of the stones are toppled or broken. Location of stones removed from the cemetery is unknown. Vegetation overgrowth in the cemetery is a constant problem preventing access. Water drainage is good all year.
No special sections. The oldest known gravestone dates from end of 19th century. The 19th and 20th century sandstone, iron, and concrete flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed
common gravestones have Hebrew and Hungarian inscriptions. The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent property is local cemetery. Rarely,
private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop.
The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been clearing vegetation by local non-Jewish residents. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by individuals. No structures. Security is a moderate threat.
Ursutiu Claudia, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj-Napoca, tel: 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 2 July 2000 using the following documentation:
- Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj 1997.
- Recensamantul din 1900. Transilvania Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
- Recensamintul general al popula]iei din 29 decembrie 1930, (The General Census of the population from December 29, 1930), vol. II, Bucuresti 1938
- Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
- 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 - Recensamintul general al populatiei din Romania din 7 ianuarie 1992 (The General Census of the Population of Romania from January 7, 1992), vol. I, Bucuresti, 1994
- Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The Historical Dictionary of Localities in Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
- Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
- Microsoft Auto Route Express 1999
No interviews. [January 2003]