Jewish Tour

Culture and History tour in Maramures

Tour Price : From €50 Duration : 8-10 hours Languages: Romanian, English

The two most brutal movements of the age, fascism and communism, touched down here, in Marmures, like tornadoes. Invading dictatorships came one after another. The ghosts of those encounters still haunt the timeless simplicity of this place. They whisper in plain buildings that stand today as museums to the people who lived and died here – The Elie Wiesel Memorial House - Museum of the Jewish Culture in Maramures and The Memorial Museum of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance.

Some of the jewish families had lived in Marmures for 200 years. Most had come in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fleeing the pogroms of Russia. Some worked the farms; some lived in villages and towns, working as traders and craftsmen. There were synagogues in most villages.

The Jewish Community in Sighet existed here since the beginning of the 17th century. The first synagogue was built in 1780 with the agreement of Emperor Josef II. The Jewish Community developed and before WWII became the second bigest jewish community from Romania, after that one from Cernauti – about 38% of the population of the city. Today, out of two temples, six synagogues and 13 prayer houses, only one is left... It was built in 1885, rebuilt, repaired and restored several times.

The most famous name from is Elie Wiesel. He is a survivor of the Holocaust, Nobel Prized for peace in 1986.

15.500 Jews were deported from Sighet with him in 1944, only 2.000 returned after the war. Of those, many have died and many others left Romania during the 45 years of communism.

If you have interest in this region, I can help you to discover your roots, to walk on your ancestors path. Just let me know and we can make together this trip. Although I’m not a jewish, during the years I had the privilege to work with people from USA, UK and Chile, who came in Romania to rediscover their origins.

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