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Jewish Population

Year	Population	% of Jews in the General Population
1900	151
1920	134	5.2
1930	133	5.0

The first Jews arrived there from Galicia, apparently at the beginning of the 18^th century. Two Jews, Asher and Moshe, were listed in the census of 1721. The listing gives no details about them, other than the fact that they were not obliged in taxes. Two Jews, Moshe and Elias, were listed in the census of 1727. The first had two children and the second had one child. We have a document from 1738, which mentions the business and personal dispute between Moshe the son of Binyamin Segal (apparently, the same Moshe who was mentioned in the two censuses), a lessee of the forests in the vicinity of Turulung (see entry), and the wealthy lessee who was under the protection of Count Sándor Karolyi from the nearby town of Carei (see entry), and who demanded lease rights in those forests. In the letter, there are mutual threats and words of incrimination. The local Jews earned their livelihoods from agriculture, commerce in agricultural products such as wheat and fruit, wine production and liquor distilling, running stores, etc

We have no information as to when the community was organized. Apparently, prior to the 19^th century, the Jewish population had not yet reached the level necessary for a regular minyan [prayer quorum of 10]. At first, the community of Craidorolt was affiliated with the community of Carei, and later with the nearby community of Arded. It seems that the community was organized during the middle of the 19^th century, when the Chevra Kadisha [Burial Society] was set up, the synagogue was built, and a mikva [ritual bath] was opened. The Jewish settlement in Craidorolt began to shrink at the beginning of the 20^th century, for many residents left the village and settled in the district city

The first rabbi of the community of Craidorolt was Rabbi Yissachar Dov Friedman. He served in the rabbinate from the end of the 19^th century until 1923, when he was accepted as the rabbi of the old community in Carei. He added an important preface to the book of his grandfather-in-law, Rabbi Chaim Betzalel Paneth, “Derech Yivchar” (Munkacz, 5653 / 1893). This book includes a detailed biography of the author of “Mareh Yechezkel,” the general rabbi of the State of Transylvania. He also published his book “Mateh Yissachar” on Bereishit and Shmot, which included commentaries on marriage, circumcision, and eulogizes (Satu Mare, 5790 / 1930). His son-in-law, Rabbi Pinchas Yehuda Katz, served as the rabbi of Craidorolt for about a year, until he died at the age of 34 in Iyar 5684 (1924). The final rabbi was Rabbi Asher Polak, who made aliya and serves as rabbi in Kfar Ata.

From among the natives of Craidorolt, it is appropriate to mention Vilmos Daróczi, (1836-1906?) who went abroad to study modern methodologies of export of spirits, sugar, beer, and tobacco. He returned to his town and worked at the production of spirits and growing tobacco. He edited a professional manual in Budapest on the topic of tobacco growing.

We did not succeed in obtaining information about the fate of the Jews of Craidorolt during the period prior to their deportation. They were transferred to the Satu Mare Ghetto at the beginning of May 1944, from where they were deported to Auschwitz at the end of May and beginning of Jew

Not one of them returned to the town after the war.

YO'C

Bibliography

Yehuda Greenwald, Responsa Zichron Yehuda, Volume II, Ujhely, section 124.
Eliezer David Greenwald, Responsa Keren leDavid, Szatmar, sections 29, 87.
Magyar-Zsidó Oklevéltár, Budapest, vol III, nr. 221; Vol VII, pp. 130-131; vol VIII nr. 527.
Magyar-Zsidó Lexikon, Budapest 1929, pp. 187-188.

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