International Jewish Cemetery Project
International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies

SFINTU GHEORGHE: judet Covasna

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SFINTU GHEORGHE I: US Commission No. ROCE-0269 -

The Old Cemetery is located at Sfintu Gheorghe, 4000, Varviz Street, no. 32, judet Covasna, Romania at 4552 2547, 100.2 miles N of Bucharest and 30 km from Brasov. Alternate names are Sepsiszentgyorgy (Hungarian) and Sfintu -Gheorghe. Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with fewer than 10 Jews.

[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [June 2016]

  • Mayor Albert Almos, Town Hall of Sfintu Gheorghe, 1 Decembrie 1918 Street no. 2, judet Covasna, tel: 067/311006
  • The Jewish Community of Brasov, Poarta Scheii Street no. 27, Romania, tel: 068/143532, Brasov, 2200, Romania
  • Interested: "Dr. Moshe Carmilly" Institute for Hebrew and Jewish History, Universitatii Street 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.
  • "A.D. Xenopol" Institute of History, Lascar Catargi Street, no. 15, 6400- Iasi Judet Iasi, Moldavia , Romania. Tel. 032/212614; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Director: Alexandru Zub.
  • Caretaker: Demeter Geza, Varviz Street no. 32, Sfintu Gheorghe
  • Key holder: Boier Ludovic and Boier Susana, Oltului Street no. 50, bl. 2, sc. D, ap.6, Sfintu Gheorghe, 4000, tel: 067/324881, judet Covasna

The 1850 Jewish population by census was 56, by 1857 was 86, 1869-1870 was100, in 1880 was 134, in 1900 was 291 Jewish and was 378 in 1930. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto in Tirgu Mures and were deported to concentration camps on May 27, 30, and June 8.

The unlandmarked Neolog cemetery was established in middle of the 19th century. Buried here is Cohan: Kohn Jozsef (d. 1887.) Last known burial was inter-war period. The urban hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has no sign or marker. Reached via private property, access is open with permission. A fence with a gate that locks surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 1064 square m. 100-500 stones are visible. 100-500 are in original location. 20-100 stones are not in original location. 25%-50% 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 1852. The 19th and 20th century marble, granite, sandstone, wood, concrete, and andesine memorial markers are smoothed and inscribed, carved relief-decorated, double tombstones, and sculpted monuments. Some have metal fences around graves. Inscriptions are in Hebrew, German, and Hungarian. No known mass graves.

The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential and Calvinist cemetery. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery Maintenance has been re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular unpaid caretaker. No structures. No threats.

Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 3 December 2000 using the following documentation:

  • Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania (1880 Transylvania Jewish Population Census.) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Bucharest 1997.
  • Recensamantul din 1900. (1900 Transylvania Jewish Population Census) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
  • Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 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
  • Zsido Lexikon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
  • Erdelyi Lajos, Regi zsidotemetok muveszete, Bukarest, Kriterion, 1980
  • Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
  • Demeter Lajos, A Szepiszentgyorgyi regi zsido temeto sirkoveirol, in Evkonyv, 1996
  • Izvoare si marturii referitoare la evreii din Romania (Sources and Testimonies on the Jews in Romania), vol. III/1-2, coord. L. Gyemant, L. Benjamin, Bucuresti, Ed. Hasefer, 1999
  • Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The historical dictionary of localities from Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
  • Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
  • Gyemant Ladislau, Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii (1790-1867), The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of the Emancipation, Bucuresti, Ed. Enciclopedica, 2000
  • Microsoft Auto Route Express 1999

Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Boier Ludovic and Demeter Geza, on 3 December 2000. [January 2003]

SFINTU GHEORGHE II: US Commission No. ROCE-0270

See Sfintu Gheorghe I for town information.
The cemetery is located at Sfintu Gheorghe, 4000, Voican Street, judet Covasna, Romania.

  • Caretaker: Daragies Eugenia, voican Street no. 69, Sfintu Gheorghe
  • Key holder: Boier Ludovic and Boier Susana, Oltului Street no. 50, bl. 2, sc. D, apt. 6, Sfintu Gheorghe, 4000, tel: 067/324881, judet Covasna

The unlandmarked still-active Neolog cemetery was established in beginning of the 20th century. The urban hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has inscriptions on the preburial house. with a gate that locks surrounds the site.

Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 7040 square m. 100-500 stones are visible. 100-500 are in original location. 1-20 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 beginning of the 20th century. The 20th century marble, granite, sandstone, concrete, and andesite flat shaped, smoothed and inscribed, and carved relief-decorated, and double tombstones and multistone monuments have Hebrew, German, Hungarian, and Romanian inscriptions. Some tombstones have metallic elements and metal fences around graves. The cemetery has Holocaust memorial, but no known mass graves. The local Jewish community owns the property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are residential. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop.

The never vandalized cemetery Maintenance has been re-erection of stones, cleaning stones, and clearing vegetation. Current care is regular caretaker paid by the Jewish community of Brasov. Within the limits of the cemetery is a preburial house with a tahara, catafalque, and an ohel.

Claudia Ursutiu, Pietroasa Str. no. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca, Romania, tel. 0040-64-151073 visited the site and completed the survey on 3 December 2000 using the following documentation:

  • Recensamantul din 1880. Transilvania (1880 Transylvania Jewish Population Census.) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Bucharest 1997.
  • Recensamantul din 1900. (1900 Transylvania Jewish Population Census) coord.: Traian Rotariu, Cluj, 1999
  • Recensamantul general al populatiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (The General Census of the Population from December 29, 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
  • Zsido Lexikon, ed. by Ujvari Peter, Budapest, 1929
  • Erdelyi Lajos, Regi zsidotemetok muveszete, Bukarest, Kriterion, 1980
  • Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. History of the Jews of Transylvania (1623-1944), Bucuresti, 1994, in Romanian
  • Demeter Lajos, A Szepiszentgyorgyi regi zsido temeto sirkoveirol, in Evkonyv, 1996
  • Izvoare si marturii referitoare la evreii din Romania (Sources and Testimonies on the Jews in Romania), vol. III/1-2, coord. L. Gyemant, L. Benjamin, Bucuresti, Ed. Hasefer, 1999
  • Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localitatilor din Transilvania (The historical dictionary of localities from Transylvania), vol. I-II, Bucuresti, 1967
  • Otto Mitelstrass, Historisch-Landeskundlicher Atlas von Siebenburgen, Ortsnamenbuch, Heidelberg, 1992
  • Gyemant Ladislau, Evreii din Transilvania in epoca emanciparii (1790-1867), The Jews of Transylvania in the Age of the Emancipation, Bucuresti, Ed. Enciclopedica, 2000
  • Microsoft Auto Route Express 1999

Claudia and Adrian Ursutiu interviewed Boier Ludovic, 03. 12. 2000, Sfintu Gheorghe [January 2003]

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Parent Category: EASTERN EUROPE