Even if there is no document to attest the arrival of the first Jews in Săpânța the approximate time of their arrival is considered to be the beginning of the 18th century. Most of them made their living from distilling, agriculture, shopkeeping and forestry. Around 1800 the first synagogue was completed and the congregation became independent becoming the seat of the court, with a separate mikveh and Beis Midrash, under the exercise and influence of one of the most famous rabbis of the area-Rabbi Joseph Meir Weiss. It is certain that at the beginning of the twentieth century there were almost 1000 Jews living in Săpânța. The collective memory of the locals portrayed their arrival: the came in a caravan nearby the village, up to a place beside the Tisa River. It was summer and they had negotiated with the villagers to buy land inside the village in order to build houses. So, they bought land, built houses and they moved in the village. And they stayed.