קהילת יהודי שימליאו סילבאניי

Moses Haim Lits Rosenbaum (1864-1943), rabbi, born in Pozsony (Pressburg), Hungary (then part of the Austrian Empire (now Bratislava, Slovakia). He was ordained by Simhah Bunim Sofer and served as rabbi of two large communities, first in Szilagysomlyo (Simleul Silvaniei), Transylvania, (now in Romania) from 1888 to 1897, and then from 1898 until his death in Kisvarda (Kleinvardein), Hungary.

On the death of R. Kopel Reich in 1929, he was asked to represent Orthodox Jewry in the upper house of the Hungarian parliament but refused, preferring to devote himself to his large community. Rosenbaum was an excellent preacher in Yiddish, German, and Hungarian. He published Meshiv Devarim (2 parts, 1900-02), response on Orah Hayyim and Yoreh De'ah by his father Gershon, rabbi of Tallya, adding his own notes. He was also the author of Lehem Rav (1921), on the prayer book. The bulk of his writings, however, which fill 15 large volumes, remained in manuscript; among them is a diary, one chapter of which was published by Ben-Menahem in Aresheth, 1 (1958), that is of considerable interest.

Although an extremist in religious matters, Rosenbaum did not ignore the Haskalah literature, and sent a message of congratulation to Leopold Zunz, founder of Wissenschaft des Judentums (Judaic Studies), on his 90th birthday. One of his two sons, Samuel, who succeeded him in Kisvarda, perished in the Holocaust in 1944, and his grandson, Pinhas Rosenbaum, published his responsa Elleh Divrei Shemu'el in 1961.

Joseph Herman "Joe" Pasternak (1901-1991), film producer at Hollywood, born in Szilagy-Somlyo, Hungary (then part of Austria-Hungary, now Șimleu Silvaniei, in Romania). He immigrated to the USA in 1920 settling in Philadelphia. in 1927 and two years later began working in films. By the end of the 1920s he was a producer for Universal Pictures in Central Europe, and from 1936 he produced over 100 films in the United States, always light comedy musicals such as Three Smart Girls (1936) with Deanna Durbin – the first of ten she made for Pasternak; movies that starred Mario Lanza; and It Started with Eve (1941); Destry Rides Again (1939), with Marlene Dietrich; Spinout (1966), with Elvis Presley; and Sweet Ride (1968). Pasternak wrote an autobiography, Easy the Hard Way (1956), and a cookbook, Cooking with Love and Paprika (1966).

Gisella Grosz (1875-1942), pianist, born in Simleu Silvaniei (Szilágysomlyó), Romania (then part of Austria-Hungary). She received her piano education at the Royal Academy of Music in Budapest and made her debut in Budapest in 1897, after which she performed in Leipzig and Berlin in 1898 and 1899. By 1898, she had established her residence in Berlin, where she performed as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1902, 1905, 1908, and 1909. On February 6, 1906, she made a recording for Welte-Mignon, making her one of the pioneering female pianists to record for that company. In 1911, she decided to conclude her career as a pianist and married Adolf Weissman (1873-1929), a renowned music critic from Berlin. After retiring from public performances, Grosz continued to impart piano lessons. Together with her spouse, they organized frequent chamber concerts throughout the 1920s until his passing in 1929. In January 1942, she was deported to Riga, Latvia, where she was murdered.  

Romania

România

A country in eastern Europe, member of the European Union (EU)

21st Century

Estimated Jewish population in 2018: 9,000 out of 19,500,000.  Before the Holocaust Romania was home to the second largest Jewish community in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world, after USSR, USA, and Poland. Main Jewish organization:

Federaţia Comunităţilor Evreieşti Din România - Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania
Str. Sf. Vineri nr. 9-11 sector 3, Bucuresti, Romania
Phone: 021-315.50.90
Fax: 021-313.10.28
Email: secretariat@fcer.ro
Website: www.jewishfed.ro

Suplacu de Barcău

In Hungarian: Berettyószéplak

A village and a municipality in Bihor County in the historical region of Crisana, Romania. Until 1918 it was part of Austria-Hungary. Between 1940 to 1944 it was annexed by Hungary.

Jews began settling in Suplacu de Barcau during the first half of the 19th century. In 1880 there were 176 Jewish residents in the village, a number that decreased to 132 in 1900.

The 1930 census recorded 125 Jewish inhabitants.

In May 1944 the local Jews were arrested by the Hungarian authorities and transferred to the ghetto in Oradea, and then they were deported to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in late May and in June 1944.

Stârciu

In Hungarian: Bogdánháza

A village in the historical region of Transylvania in Horoatu Crasnei commune in Salaj County, Romania. Until 1918 the area was part of Austria-Hungary and between 1940-1944 was annexed by Hungary.

Jews constituted a small minority in this village, where the vast majority of residents were Romanians. In 1920, after the area became part of Romania, there were 12 Jewish residents in Starciu, less than 1% of the total population. The 1930 census recorded 16 Jews living in the village, while the 1941 census conducted after the area was annexed by Hungary listed 4 Jewish residents.

In May 1944 the Jews of Starciu were arrested by the Hungarian authorities and eventually deported to Auschwitz Nazi death camp. The Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names mentions 19 Holocaust victims from Starci, belonging to Weiss/Weisz and Izrael families, some of them were residents of other places. Of them only 2 survived the Holocaust.