US Commission No. ROCE-0368 / Reference Number: RO/MM/64
Located at 4739 2330. 254.6 miles NNW of Bucharest in Maramureş judet, Zazăr is the alternate Hungarian name. Leaving Baia Mare in a westerly direction, take the right hand turn toward the village of Săsăr at the indication. Take the first right and follow the blacktop road, staying straight, not making any turns and continuing along the same road as it turns to concrete. Just before the roundabout where the bus makes its turn there is a road leading off to the left. Follow this road towards the fields. The cemetery is located straight ahead in the middle of the fields. An easier approach would be to find the home of the caretaker, Mrs. Maria Săsaran (66) , Str. Principala no. 197.
- LOCAL: Comunitatea Evreilor (Baia Mare), Str. Someşului Nr. 5, 4800 Baia Mare, Jud. Maramureş, Romania. Tel: (40-62) 211-231. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti.
- REGIONAL: Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania, Str. Sf. Vineri 9-11, Bucureşti, Tel: (40-1) 613-2538, 143-008. Contact: Mr. Alex Silvan
- CARETAKER: Mrs. Maria Săsaran (66), Str. Principala n0. 197, Sat. Săsar 4813, Com. Recea, Jud. Maramures, Romania
Despite the large area of the cemetery in Săsăr, very little remains of it. There are three stones in the cemetery, two of which are toppled and one that is upright but completely illegible. There are 12 earth mounds that identify locations of burials that no longer have stones. The caretaker, Mrs. Sasaran Maria, told us that she took great care not to disturb the mounds over the years, even though it makes cutting the grass more time consuming. Despite the presence of more burials than stones, the Sasaran family does not recall there ever having been more stones. More than half of the area is occupied by rows of corn and grape vines (not in the area with either stones or grave mounds). In addition there was an odd structure of unknown nature consisting of several boards and a torn tarp located next to a tree in the cemetery. The concrete post and chain link fence was constructed in 1990. Had it not been so rainy and dangerously electric we might have had time to investigate the two toppled stones more closely to see if they had any legible inscriptions on their surfaces facing the ground.
The isolated rural, agricultural flat land with no sign or marker is separate, but near other cemeteries, namely a small Pentecostal cemetery located just outside the gate of the Jewish cemetery. Reached by a public road and crossing private property, access is open to all via a fence with a gate that does not lock.
Present size of cemetery is 1,208 square meters (Baia Mare list), on-site estimate - 30m x 66m. Three gravestones are in cemetery, regardless of condition or position: 1 standing straight up and 2 toppled. In addition, 5 stumps were visible where stones once stood. There were 12 clear grave mounds. The caretaker said that there are 36 burials on the site and that there were no more stones, even when she was a child. Vegetation and water drainage are not problems. The Hebrew-inscribed granite and limestone flat-shaped and smoothed and inscribed tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves. The property is now an orchard with crop in area without graves. Compared to 1939, the cemetery boundaries enclose the same area (probable). The cemetery never is visited. Care is seasonal clearing of vegetation by local non-Jewish unpaid regular caretaker. No structures. Security (uncontrolled access) and weather erosion are slight threats.
John DeMetrick and Christina Crowder, formerly of Cluj-Napoca, visited the site on 25 June 2002 and completed this survey on 30 June 2000 using a list of cemeteries known by Jewish Community in Baia Mare. They have no further information. Other documentation exists. They interviewed caretaker Mrs. Maria Sasaran. Further inquiries about the site could be addressed to the Jewish community in Baia Mare or the Federation of Romanian Jewish Communities in Bucuresti. [April 2002]