CEMETERY FOCUS: Oradea Velenta Jewish Cemetery, Romania

Alternative/Former City Names: Nagyvarad, Grossvardein

Cemetery Established: Established in 1775 as a municipal cemetery for various faiths. In 1800, the land on which the cemetery is located was purchased by the local Jewish community. The first Jewish burial took place in 1801.

Jewish Community Established: Early 18th century

Present Usage of Cemetery: Inactive cemetery. The last burial in this cemetery took place in 1952.

Location & Demarcation: Surrounded by houses and blocks of flats, the cemetery is located off a public road. It is fenced and equipped with a lockable gate.

Gravestones, Memorial Markers & Structures: A number of gravestones from the city’s old Lebedei Street Jewish cemetery can be found at Velenta. This is due to the fact that when the old cemetery was closed and its gravestones scattered, a number of them were transported to the newly opened Velenta Jewish cemetery.

History of the Jewish Community: While Jews may have lived in the area of Oradea as early as the 15th century, the community was not established until the early 18th century. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish population of Oradea numbered about 30,000, i.e. about one third of the city’s total population, and the city had 27 synagogues. During World War II, a large Jewish ghetto was established in the city, from which Jews from both Oradea and other cities and villages were deported to Auschwitz in May and June 1944. Today, between 500 and 700 Jews live in Oradea, which is one of Romania’s most important Jewish communities.

Source: Cemetery survey carried out by Livia Chereches and Maia Teszler in Spring 2009. Images © Livia Chereches.