International Jewish Cemetery Project - Romania C The cemetery is located at Chiochis, no. 159, code 4591, judet Bistrita, Romania at 4659 2411, 198.8 miles NNW of Bucharest and 48 km from Dej. Alternate names: Kekes (Hungarian), Blaudorf (German). Present town population is under 1,000 with no Jews.

• Mayor Pop Vasile, Chiochis
• The Jewish Community of Bistrita, Gr. Balan Str., 71, cod 4400, Bistrita, Romania
• The Federation of The Jewish Communities of Romania, Sf. Vineri Str. no. 9-11, sect. 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 e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Key holder and caretaker: Moldovan Dumitru, no. 159, Chiochis

The Jewish population by 1930 census was 27. In May 1944, the Jews were gathered in the ghetto of Dej and on May 28, June 6-8 were deported to Auschwitz. The unlandmarked Orthodox cemetery was established in 19th century with last known burial in the 20th century.

The isolated rural/agricultural hillside has no sign or marker. Reached via private road,
access is unknown. A fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the site. Approximate pre- and post-WWII size is 15 m x10 m. 1-20 stones are visible, some 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. Tombstones date from the 19th century. The limestone flat shaped and smoothed and inscribed gravestones have Hebrew inscriptions. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. No known mass graves. The national Jewish community owns the property used for an orchard. Adjacent properties are agricultural. Rarely, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors stop. The never vandalized cemetery maintenance has been clearing vegetation. Current care is occasional clearing or cleaning by unpaid individuals. No structures.

Cosmina Popa, Tatra Str. no. 4, tel. 064/ 128764, Cluj Napoca, 3400 and Ioana Raiciu, Bd. 21 Decembrie, 13-15, 064/190849, Cluj-Napoca, 3400 visited the site and completed the survey on July 25, 2000 using the following documentation:

• The General Census of the Population of Transylvania- 1850, Ed. Staff, 1996
• Ernest Wager, Historisch- Statistisches- Ortsnamenbuch fur Siebenburgen-, Ed. Bohlau, 1977
• Carmilly-Weinberger, Moshe. Istoria evreilor din Transilvania (1623-1944), Bucharest, 1994
• Coriolan Suciu, Dictionar istoric al localităţilor din Transilvania, I-II, Bucharest, 1968.
• Recensamintul general al populatiei din Transilvania-1930 decembrie 29, I-III, Bucharest, 1938

They interviewed Moldovan Dumitru, Chiochis. [January 2003]