Please note JBAT archivists did not survey this material directly. The folder description provided by the CNSAS inventory reads: File on the problem of the Zionist movement in the Magyar Autonomous Region. Reports, personal identity documents, the history of international Zionism, the history of some local Zionist organizations, statutes of Zionist organizations in Transylvania, operational documents, records concerning Jews repatriated from the U.S.S.R. in the county of Mureș, informative summaries.
Please note JBAT archivists did not survey this material directly. The folder description provided by the CNSAS inventory reads: Chart of those of Jewish ethnicity repatriated from Bessarabia and Bukovina (in the counties of Mureș and Cluj).
The collection includes the paperwork and material collected by the Mureș county Securitate (Romanian Communist Secret Police) offices under communism. The material includes select folders from the pre-communist period; these folders were presumably in the possession of the police and seized by the Securitate at some point in time. At the time of the JBAT survey (2015), the inventory for this collection was accessible only at the physical location of the CNSAS and only in digital form on the computers of the CNSAS reading room. The inventory provided no indication as to the linear extent of the collection and gave no additional details as to its history, content, or the number of pages in individual folders. The collection is large, over 1,000 files, and as such there are many hundreds of folders which are obliquely titled and may contain reference to Jewish residents. It was beyond the scope of the present survey to inspect the contents of all such folders. There are, however, a number of folders with titles specifically referencing the Jewish content. Several of these contain material from World War II and others contain histories of the local Jewish communities. For details on folders mentioned above and others with material clearly related to the Jewish population, please click on the link(s) below.
This register contains birth, marriages, and deaths from the town of Târgu Mureș for both the Orthodox and the Status Quo communities for the years 1885-1895. Information recorded is standard for these registers: details on parents, birthdates and places, occupation, death circumstances and date, and information regarding the officiants at circumcisions, weddings, and burials. From the entries in this book it is clear that the Status Quo community was the much larger and more powerful community in the city at this time period.
This register contains deaths for the Status Quo Jewish community in Târgu Mureș. Please note that until 2015, the book was miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The book is primarily recorded in Hungarian, though the names of the deceased are recorded in Hebrew and with the names of the individual's parents (in Hebrew). Information recorded is name, birth place, age, circumstances of death, date of death (including Hebrew date), place of burial, and surviving relatives.
This register contains marriages for the Status Quo Jewish community in Târgu Mureș and, partway through, a handful from villages in the surrounding countryside (1886-1889). Please note that until 2015, the book was miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The book is primarily recorded in Hungarian, though frequently the Hebrew names are also provided. Please also note that some marriages were recorded after the event, so that the first marriages recorded in fact date to 1869, not 1886 when the book was first opened. Information recorded is name and birth date and place for the bride and groom, parental information, place and date of the wedding and information regarding the witnesses and officiant. Many of the individuals in this book had their names Magyarized and this is also recorded in the "comments" column. The last entry in the book prior to the deportations is for April 1944. There is one wedding recorded after World War II, in 1947 Please note the book is catalogued as including dates only until 1946.
This register contains births for the Status Quo Jewish community in Târgu Mureș and, partway through, births from villages in the surrounding countryside (1886-1889). Please note that until 2015, the book was miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The book is primarily recorded in Hungarian, though frequently the Hebrew names of the infant and its parents are also provided (sometimes the parents of the parents are also provided, ie. Josef son of Zvi). Please also note that some births were recorded after the event, so that the first births recorded in fact date to 1870, not 1886 when the book was first opened. Information recorded is name, birth date, parental information including occupation and birthplace, name of the midwife and officiant who performed the circumcision or naming ceremony. Many of the individuals in this book had their names Magyarized and this is also recorded in the "comments" column. The last entry in the book is for February 1944, a few months before the deportations to Auschwitz took place.
This register contains records of births, marriages, and deaths for, presumably, the Status Quo Jewish community in Târgu Mureș. Please note that the book is currently (2015) miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The book is primarily recorded in Hungarian, with some Hebrew names and dates and occasionally some German. The information recorded for births, marriages, and deaths is typical for these books and includes birthdate and place, parent names and background, place of residence, occupation, bride and groom birthdates and place, officiant name for circumcisions, weddings, and funerals, death date and place, circumstances or cause of death, place of burial, and so forth. Please note that there are several register books with overlapping dates for the Târgu Mureș community; it is not clear why this is, though it may be related to the confusion in the wake of the schism.
This register contains records of births, marriages, and deaths for the Status Quo Jewish community in Târgu Mureș. Please note that the book is currently (2015) miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The book is primarily recorded in Hungarian, with some Hebrew names and dates and occasionally some German. The information recorded for births, marriages, and deaths is typical for these books and includes birthdate and place, parent names and background, place of residence, occupation, bride and groom birthdates and place, officiant name for circumcisions, weddings, and funerals, death date and place, circumstances or cause of death, place of burial, and so forth.
This register contains records of births, marriages, and deaths for the Jewish community in Târgu Mureș and, after the schism, the Status Quo Jewish community, which was the largest community in the town. Please note that the book is currently (2015) miscatalogued as belonging to the Neologue community. The titles and entries of the book are all in German except for the entries from the 1870s. The book begins with a chart of community members and their families, including the birth dates and names of the children. The oldest birthdate recorded is from 1830. Following these pages is another list of members entitled "conscription" (census) for Marosvásárhely for 1855. Fifty-one heads of families are listed, with their wives and children. Following these pages, the official birth register begins, with the first entry dating 1851. The information recorded for births, marriages, and deaths is typical for these books and includes birthdate and place, parent names and background, place of residence, occupation, bride and groom birthdates and place, officiant name for circumcisions, weddings, and funerals, death date and place, circumstances or cause of death, place of burial, and so forth. Though most of the births do take place in Târgu Mureș, it seems that many or even most of the weddings take place in the surrounding countryside. Perhaps the register served as a regional register.
This register contains records of deaths for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. The book is in Hungarian. Information recorded is name, birth place, age, circumstances of death and date and place of burial.
This register contains records of marriages for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. The book is in Hungarian. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the bride and groom, parents' names and place of residence, age and status (single, widowed, divorced) of bride and groom, date and place of the wedding, officiant's name.
This register contains records of births for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. The book is in Hungarian. Information recorded is: name of the newborn, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, birth date, father and mother names, place of residence of parents, name of the midwife, name of the circumcizer, other notes.
This register contains records of deaths for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. Please see the register with reference number 912 or "Dublete, 292" in the Stare civila collection for deaths after 1885. The book has printed titles in Hungarian and German and entries begin in German but later switch to Hungarian. Information recorded is name, birth place, age, circumstances of death and date and place of burial.
This register contains records of marriages for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. Please note that the dates included are sporadic. There are consistent entries from 1880-1885, after which there is a gap of 10 years. Please see the register with reference number: Dublete, 292 in the Stare civila collection for marriages during this period. The book has printed titles in Hungarian and German and entries begin in German but later switch to Hungarian. Information recorded is names and birthplace information for the bride and groom, parental information, dates and place for the wedding and information on the officiant.
This register contains records of births for the Orthodox community in Târgu Mureș. Please note that the dates included are sporadic. There are consistent entries from 1879-1885, after which there is a gap of 10 years. Please see the register with reference number: Dublete, 292 in the Stare civila collection for births during this period. During the interwar period there are only a handful of births recorded. It appears there must have been another manner of recording births within the community or with the authorities. The book has printed titles in Hungarian and German and entries begin in German but later switch to Hungarian and, during the interwar period, include names in Hebrew and/or Yiddish. Information recorded is standard including name, place, date of birth and information on the occupation and birthplace of the parents.
This record book records marriages for the region around the villages of Teaca and Urmeniș. Information recorded is standard, including names, occupation, parents, and birth dates of the bride and groom and place, date, and officiant for the wedding. This book includes Yiddish and Hebrew entries alongside the standard Hungarian.
This record book is in a fragile state, many pages have severely frayed edges. The book records the customary information for births including name, date, parental information (names, occupation, birthplace), circumcision or naming ceremony officiant and date, and (sometimes) notes regarding the individual's death or other comments. Of note is the large time span the book covers, from 1858-1922 (the dates prior to the 1886 were entered after the fact). There are many gaps in this period, especially from 1903-1922. Please note that today the villages of Teaca and Urmeniș are not in the county of Mureș, but rather in Bistrița-Nasăud. The entries in this book are for familes living in villages throughout the region around Teaca and Urmeniș.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community deaths with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Sus (Marosi Felső) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the north of the town of Târgu Mureș. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the deceased, date of death, occupation (generally not completed), gender, marriage status, age, place of burial, illness and manner of death.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community deaths with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Jos (Marosi Alsó) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the south of the town of Târgu Mureș. However, many of the individuals in the register appear to be from Mureșul de Sus, a district to the north of Târgu Mureș. It is unclear whether the register was processed incorrectly by the National Archives or whether the original register keepers were inconsistent. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the deceased, date of death, occupation (generally not completed), gender, marriage status, age, place of burial, illness and manner of death.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community weddings with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Miercurea Nirajului (Nyárádszereda) refers here to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the east and south of the town of Târgu Mureș. The majority of the entries in this book, however, are for weddings in the town of Sângeorgiu de Pădure. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the bride and groom, parents' names and place of residence, age and status (single, widowed, divorced) of bride and groom, date and place of the wedding, officiant's name. Please note that the dates in the official title (1889-1895) do not correspond with the contents. Though the contents were recorded during the period, the earliest wedding entered took place in 1882.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community weddings with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Sus (Marosi Felső) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the north of the town of Târgu Mureș. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the bride and groom, parents' names and place of residence, age and status (single, widowed, divorced) of bride and groom, date and place of the wedding, officiant's name.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community weddings with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by nearby rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Jos (Marosi Alsó) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the south of the town of Târgu Mureș. However, many of the individuals in the register appear to be from Mureșul de Sus, a district to the north of Târgu Mureș. It is unclear whether the register was processed incorrectly by the National Archives or whether the original register keepers were inconsistent. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the bride and groom, parents' names and place of residence, age and status (single, widowed, divorced) of bride and groom, date and place of the wedding, officiant's name.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. Please note that the dates in the official title (1889-1895) do not correspond with the contents. Though the contents were recorded during the period, the earliest birth entered took place in 1860. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community members with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Miercurea Nirajului (Nyárádszereda) refers here to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the east and south of the town of Târgu Mureș. Information recorded is: name of the newborn, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, birth date, father and mother names, place of residence of parents, name of the midwife, name of the circumcizer, other notes.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. Please note that the dates in the official title (1889-1895) do not correspond with the contents. Though the contents were recorded during the period, the earliest birth entered took place in 1849. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community members with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by other rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Sus (Marosi Felső) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the north of the town of Târgu Mureș. Information recorded is: name of the newborn, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, birth date (Hebrew date also requested but not filled out), father and mother names, place of residence of parents, name of the midwife, name of the circumcizer, other notes.
This register is kept entirely in Hungarian. Please note that the dates in the official title (1889-1895) do not correspond with the contents. Though the contents were recorded during the period, the earliest birth entered took place in 1849. The book presumably served as a record book for registering rural community births with the central community in Târgu Mureș. It is not clear, however, why some of these individuals were registered in this book rather than in the books maintained by nearby rural communities. The geographic indication Mureșul de Jos (Marosi Alsó) refers to a district in the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the south of the town of Târgu Mureș. However, many of the individuals in the register appear to be from Mureșul de Sus, a district to the north of Târgu Mureș. It is unclear whether the register was processed incorrectly by the National Archives or whether the original register keepers were inconsistent. Information recorded is: name of the newborn, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, birth date (Hebrew date also requested but not filled out), father and mother names, place of residence of parents, name of the midwife, name of the circumcizer, other notes.
This register is kept in Hungarian. The contents record individuals from the districts or counties surrounding Târgu Mureș during the late 19th century. It is unclear why or how this register book came to be maintained, as all the towns and villages noted can be found in other register books specifically for their region. The contents of the book are mixed up - that is, pages of marriage records interrupt death records, and so forth. If using this register for research, it is important to look through all the pages since they are not clearly divided between births, marriages, and deaths. Please see also the other civil records held at the National Archives in Mureș county for additional records from the towns and villages listed in this book.
The titles of this book are in German and the entries are primarily in German as well, except for the last few. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the deceased, date of death, occupation (generally not completed), gender, marriage status, age, place of burial, illness and manner of death. It is unclear why this book is in German, when all the other registers from the region are in Hungarian (except for the corresponding marriage register from the same community). The families entered here are from all the villages to the north, east, and west (but not crossing the river) of Sâncraiu de Mureș, which was the administrative center of the district at the time. Today many of these small villages are more or less part of the town of Târgu Mureș. Sâncraiu de Mureș and Nazna figure especially prominently.
The titles of this book are in German, the entries are in German and later, Hungarian. Information recorded is: Name and birthplace of the bride and groom, parents' names and place of residence, age and status (single, widowed, divorced) of bride and groom, date and place of the wedding, officiant's name. It is unclear why this book is in German, when all the other registers from the region are in Hungarian. The scribe at the start of the book also made entries in German; by the end, the entries are in Hungarian. The families entered here are from all the villages to the north, east, and west (but not crossing the river) of Sâncraiu de Mureș, which was the administrative center of the district at the time. Today many of these small villages are more or less part of the town of Târgu Mureș. Sâncraiu de Mureș and Nazna figure especially prominently.
This register is kept in Hungarian, with printed titles in Hungarian and German. Information recorded is: name of the newborn, gender, whether legitimate or illegitimate, birth date (Hebrew date also requested but not filled out), father and mother names, place of residence of parents, name of the midwife, name of the circumcizer, other notes. The families entered here are from all the villages to the north, east, and west (but not crossing the river) of Sâncraiu de Mureș, which was the administrative center of the district at the time. Today many of these small villages are more or less part of the town of Târgu Mureș.
This collection comprises civil registers recording birth, marriage, and death records. Originally the registers were kept by each respective parish, church, synagogue, etc. In the 1950s they were collected by the National Archives and made into this overarching collection. The collection is organized by locality and then religion. In addition to birth, marriage, and death records, some of the Christian registers record conversions, baptisms, confirmations, pastor or priest names, and other notes on the development of the community. The Romanian preface to the collection notes that in 1784 the Jewish communities were made to record their civil records under the supervision of the Catholic priests. It is unclear whether this may indicate that 18th century Jewish records might be found within Catholic record books. In any case, there are no extant Jewish registers prior to 1815. Of interest in this civil record collection in the county of Mureș are the numerous registers from rural areas, especially from the area around the small town of Sângeorgiu de Pădure, also the region of the socalled Szekely Sabbatarians. All Jewish registers held at the Mureș archives are described in detail below.
According to the records, this school was attended by some Jewish students, but please note that the majority of the material is from after the deportation of the Jewish community and the numbers reflect this fact. There are several class registers but the majority of the material consists of administrative instructions, reports, and memos and information on the staff. Note that the school was opened after the Second Vienna Award and much of the material likely concerns the administrative restructuring and nation-building that followed in the wake of this event.
There is little known about this school except that it functioned at least from 1879-1889. The collection contains immatriculation and grade registers as well as an inventory for the library. From the student body make-up, it appears that the school was very mixed, attended by Germans, Hungarians, Jews and the former were both Protestant and Catholic. At least half of the student body looks to be female. It appears to have been a private school, perhaps even an elite private school for the daughters (and some sons) of wealthy families, but that is merely speculation. The books record pupil names, their birthplaces and dates, father names and occupations, mother tongue, subjects and grades. There is no other information regarding the history of the school or even its location.
It appears from the contents of the books within this collection, that the Beregi school was originally the Jakab Wiener school (please see Jakab Wiener elementary school of Târgu Mureș collection) and became the Beregi school after 1903. This conclusion is made on the basis that the daughter of Jakab Wiener (who changed his name to Várnai) was also attending the Beregi school in 1904. Both Wiener and Beregi are the names of the respective director of the school during the time period for which there are records, so it appears that the school changed names with its director. This school was a Jewish school, that is attended exclusively by Jewish children. It had six grades and was attended by boys and girls. The collection contains 9 register books for the school years 1904-1913. The books record pupil names, their birthplaces and dates, father names and occupations, mother tongue, subjects and grades. There is no other information regarding the history of the school or even its location. Please note that in addition to this small, apparently private or semi-private school, the Status Quo community operated a Jewish school. See the collection Jewish Elementary School of Târgu Mureș.
The Jakab Wiener private elementary school was apparently run by Jakab Wiener himself. Over the course of the 10 years for which there are records from this school, he had his named Magyarized to Jakab Várnai. This school was clearly a Jewish school, that is, attended exclusively by Jewish students according to the extant record books. The collection contains 5 register books which record pupil names, their birthplaces and dates, father names and occupations, mother tongue, subjects and grades. There is no other information regarding the history of the school or even its location. It appears that the school became the Beregi elementary school after 1903. Please see the collection Beregi elementary school of Târgu Mureș. Please note that in addition to this small, apparently private or semi-private school, the Status Quo community operated a Jewish school. See the collection Jewish Elementary School of Târgu Mureș.
This collection contains comprehensive material from the main Catholic school in Târgu Mureș. In general, it appears that Jewish students were more likely to attend the Protestant schools, but one finds Jewish pupils in these records occasionally. The collection begins with papers from the mid-late 18th century, primarily dealing with administrative matters, ie contracts, rental agreements, decrees, lists of students. Beginning in the 19th century, there are fairly consistent immatriculation registers as well as folders containing correspondence on school affairs. Inventories of furnishings and libraries begin to appear consistently. By the 1870s, there are approximately 10 folders per year, containing meeting minutes of the school staff, statistical information, correspondence, immatriculation records, staff instructions, budget documents, and other miscellaneous papers. At the end of the inventory there are several items not related to this school, they contain diploma certificates from a school in Miercurea Ciuc, Târgu Secuiesc, and from the Școala Normală in Târgu Mureș (School of Education). These items date from 1929-1940.
This collection contains papers created by the Jewish Democratic Committee for the county of Mureș and town of Târgu Mureș and for the local branch of Reghin. The folders contain meeting minutes, reports, surveys, and other written material. It is not clear how the county of Mureș differed from the region of Mureș (there is also a collection for the Regional Jewish Democratic Committee for Mureș). The committee had a wide range of responsibilities, surpassing basic political tasks. The reports and meetings record decisions about secular and religious holidays, the Jewish school, teachers, emigration matters, unresolved events (missing persons) from World War II, religious staff (butcher, teachers), cultural events, and general happenings in community life. There are surveys on the community, including data on community numbers, language, occupations, and so forth. There are reports on the receptiveness to communist ideology versus Zionism and specific numbers are given for those who have requested to emigrate. There may also be speeches made by the leadership on holidays or for other gatherings. The collection may be of interest to those studying Jewish life in the immediate post-war period and especially those looking at questions of identity, Zionism, and Jewish roles in early communist Romania.
Please note that the inventory for this collection was missing in 2015, so the precise contents are not known. Two folders were requested, one dealt with the regional committee, as per the title of the collection; the other folder was from the Sighișoara committee. The folders contain meeting minutes, reports, surveys, and other written material created by the Jewish Democratic Committee for the region of Mureș (or Sighișoara). It is not clear how the region of Mureș differed from the county of Mureș (there is also a collection for the Jewish Democratic Committee for Mureș County). The committee had a wide range of responsibilities, surpassing basic political tasks. The reports and meetings record decisions about secular and religious holidays, the Jewish school, teachers, emigration matters, unresolved events (missing persons) from World War II, religious staff (butcher, teachers), cultural events, and general happenings in community life. There are surveys on the community, including data on community numbers, language, occupations, and so forth. There are reports on the surrounding towns and the respective population's receptiveness to communist ideology versus Zionism. There may also be speeches made by the leadership on holidays or for other gatherings. The collection may be of interest to those studying Jewish life in the immediate post-war period and especially those looking at questions of identity, Zionism, and Jewish roles in early communist Romania.
This collection contains registration books and grade books for the Jewish elementary school of Târgu Mureș. There are 68 items within the collection, most of which are class register books. The register books contain the names of pupils, their birth information, parental names and occupations, and place of residence. Some of the books include grades received. All the material is in Hungarian, with the exception of the books from the interwar period. The school was closed following the deportations to Auschwitz in spring/summer of 1944 but reopened in September 1945. Of particular interest may be item number 66, the register of meetings (registru de procese verbale ale ședințelor corpului didactic) held by school staff from 1945-1948. In addition to this school, which was operated by the community, a smaller, apparently private Jewish school functioned in the late 19th century-World War I (at least) led by Jakab Wiener (later Várnai) and then Nathan Beregi. Please see the corresponding collections for schools under these names.