The Jewish Community of Huedin

Huedin

In Hungarian: Bánffyhunyad; in German: Heynod

A city in the Cluj County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. Until 1918 it was part of Austria-Hungary, between 1940-1944 was annexed by Hungary.

Jews started to settle in Huedin during the first half of the 19th century. In 1877 there were 243 Jews living in the town and in 1910 their number increased to 1,073 that constituted about 22% of the general population. The increase in the size of the Jewish population was partly due to immigration from rural communities. After the annexation of Transylvania by Romania at the end of WW I, the Jewish population stood at 260 in 1920 while the 1930 census recorded 960 Jewish inhabitants in Huedin.

The community opened its first synagogue was built in 1852. It also maintained a yeshiva. In 1927 the local synagogue was attacked by a group of anti-Semitic students.

The rise to power of the Goga-Cuza government in December 1937 led to the enactment and implementation of official anti-Semitic policies in Romania. 

In August 1940 Northern Transylvania, including Bontida, was annexed by Hungary. The anti-Semitic policy of the Hungarian government was implemented immediately.

The Jews of Huedin were arrested by the Hungarian police on May 3, 1944 and held in the local synagogue, where they were tortured and underwent humiliating body searches to reveal where they hid their gold and other valuables. After a few days they were transferred to the ghetto of Cluj, and from there they were deported to the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in May-June 1944.

After WW II, some Holocaust survivors returned to Huedin. In 1947 the Jewish population numbered 345 people. In the years that followed most of them left the city with many immigrating to Israel. The remaining Jews were organized in a local community, member of the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania.

In 2014 there was only one Jew living in Huedin.