Sárospatak Jewish Cemetery
From our research we knew that there was an old Jewish cemetery in Sárospatak. However, it seemed no one knew where it was.
Our hotel called the visitors' bureau and the mayor's office and found its location on the map. So we set out on a long walk and ended up in the middle of a field. We turned around and walked back to a neighborhood where we met a local family. The daughter spoke perfect English and found out from her father that the cemetery was behind the bus stop we had passed three times!
The eight foot tall, rusty iron gate was open. We went inside to find two workmen valiantly attempting to restore the cemetary from decades of neglect and vandalism. Weeds, dirt, broken headstones were everywhere.
Amethyst and I had a deep emotional reaction to this place filled with memories, suffering, joy and history. We decided that we needed to both document its current state and find some way to participate in its healing. The story of the healing will be told another time.
For now look at a few of the headstones we found. We have pictures of every headstone. My family will translate them and we will make the information available soon.
