Final Report of the International Commission on the - Minority Rights ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

staff and commander <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Fourth Army, to “take drastic punitive measures.” That night, Iacobici cabled Antonescu’s military cabinet, informing <strong>the</strong>m that he had begun to act: “As a retaliatory measure, and as an example for <strong>the</strong> population, I have taken steps to hang a number <strong>of</strong> suspected Jews and Communists in <strong>the</strong> town squares.” That same night, Iacobici sent General Nicolae Macici, commander <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Fourth Army’s Second Army Corps to Odessa. General Tataranu’s deputy, Colonel Stanculescu, delivered Antonescu’s Order no. 302.826 to Trestioreanu demanding “immediate retaliatory action, including <strong>the</strong> liquidation <strong>of</strong> 18,000 Jews in <strong>the</strong> ghettos and <strong>the</strong> hanging in <strong>the</strong> town squares <strong>of</strong> at least 100 Jews for every regimental sector….” At noon, Stanculescu again cabled Tataranu, reporting about <strong>the</strong> punitive measures: “Retaliatory action has been taken within <strong>the</strong> city via shooting [and] hanging, and notices warning against terrorist acts have been posted. The execution <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jews in <strong>the</strong> ghettos is well under way….” Jews were rounded up and brought to <strong>the</strong>se sites by <strong>the</strong> army, <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie, and <strong>the</strong> police (who had come from Romania). The major executions were carried out in neighboring Dalnic or enroute to Dalnic; tens <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> Jews were brought <strong>the</strong>re for this purpose. Although <strong>the</strong> Germans had <strong>of</strong>fered to send in an SS battalion to assist in “dismantling mines” and ridding Odessa “<strong>of</strong> Jews and Bolsheviks,” <strong>the</strong> Romanian authorities chose to act alone. The executed, including hostages and locals who had disobeyed orders, were given no trial and were hanged from balconies overlooking <strong>the</strong> main streets. After <strong>the</strong> explosion, long lines <strong>of</strong> poles were erected along <strong>the</strong> trolley tracks leading out <strong>of</strong> town. Some 10,000 Jews who were arrested were jailed, but not immediately executed. General Iacobici hastened to send <strong>the</strong> Military Cabinet a status report detailing <strong>the</strong> retaliatory actions taken, which included “executions by shooting and by hanging, and <strong>the</strong> posting <strong>of</strong> notices warning anyone who would dare attempt such acts <strong>of</strong> terrorism.” By <strong>the</strong> next morning, hundreds <strong>of</strong> Jewish corpses hung in <strong>the</strong> town squares and at intersections. The carnage did not end <strong>the</strong>re. At least 25,000 Jews were driven into fields by gendarmes. One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> few survivors <strong>of</strong> this trek, <strong>the</strong>n a girl <strong>of</strong> sixteen, reported that her convoy was so huge that she could not see “its beginning or its end.” Some 22,000 Jews <strong>of</strong> all ages were packed into nine warehouses in Dalnic, a suburb <strong>of</strong> Odessa, an operation that continued past nightfall on October 23. The massacre proceeded as follows: One by one, <strong>the</strong> warehouses were riddled with machine gun and rifle fire, doused with gasoline and ignited, except for <strong>the</strong> last warehouse, which was blown up. The chaos and <strong>the</strong> horrifying sights that followed cannot be described: wounded people burning alive, women with <strong>the</strong>ir hair aflame coming out through <strong>the</strong> ro<strong>of</strong> or through openings in <strong>the</strong> burning storehouses in a crazed search for salvation. But <strong>the</strong> warehouse[s were] surrounded on all sides by soldiers, <strong>the</strong>ir rifles cocked. They had been ordered not to let a single civilian escape. The horror was so great that it deeply shocked everyone <strong>the</strong>re, soldiers and <strong>of</strong>ficers alike. Trucks carrying gasoline and kerosene were parked outside <strong>the</strong> warehouses. These buildings were ignited quickly, one after <strong>the</strong> next, since <strong>the</strong> soldiers had to be protected. The troops <strong>the</strong>n retreated about 50 meters (about 55 yards) and encircled <strong>the</strong> area to prevent escape. A Romanian <strong>of</strong>ficer described what he saw: When <strong>the</strong> fire broke out, some <strong>of</strong> those in <strong>the</strong> warehouse who were lightly wounded or still unharmed tried to escape by jumping out <strong>the</strong> window or exiting through <strong>the</strong> ro<strong>of</strong>. The soldiers were ordered to immediately shoot at anyone who emerged. In an attempt to escape <strong>the</strong> agonies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> fire, some appeared at <strong>the</strong> windows and signaled to <strong>the</strong> soldiers to shoot <strong>the</strong>m, pointing to <strong>the</strong>ir heads and hearts. But when <strong>the</strong>y saw <strong>the</strong> guns pointed at <strong>the</strong>m, <strong>the</strong>y disappeared from <strong>the</strong> window for a brief moment, only to
eappear a few seconds later and signal to <strong>the</strong> soldiers once again. Then <strong>the</strong>y turned <strong>the</strong>ir backs to <strong>the</strong> window in order not to see <strong>the</strong> soldiers shooting at <strong>the</strong>m. The operation continued throughout <strong>the</strong> night, and <strong>the</strong> faces visible by <strong>the</strong> light <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> flames were even more terrifying. This time, those who appeared in <strong>the</strong> windows were naked, having stripped <strong>of</strong>f <strong>the</strong>ir burning clothing. Some women threw <strong>the</strong>ir children out <strong>the</strong> window. One warehouse was selected to fulfill Antonescu’s express desire to blow up a building packed with Jews. The explosion occurred on October 25, 1941, at 5:45 p.m., precisely when <strong>the</strong> Romanian army headquarters in Odessa had exploded three days earlier. The force <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> blast scattered body parts all over <strong>the</strong> area surrounding <strong>the</strong> warehouse. Officers Deleanu, Niculescu-Coca, Radu Ionescu, and Balaceanu all shot Jews who attempted to escape and even threw Soviet hand grenades into <strong>the</strong> warehouses. Some horrified soldiers and even <strong>of</strong>ficers did <strong>the</strong>ir best not to shoot <strong>the</strong> human flames. “Many <strong>of</strong> us, <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers who could not bear <strong>the</strong>se sights, tried to hide, and <strong>the</strong>y threatened us because <strong>of</strong> this.” German sources—an <strong>of</strong>ficer in <strong>the</strong> Abwehr visited Odessa in late October and prepared a detailed report on <strong>the</strong> explosion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanian headquarters <strong>the</strong>re—confirm <strong>the</strong> scope and nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanian operation in Odessa. Yet, <strong>the</strong>se sources emphasize that Soviet agents had planted <strong>the</strong> mines, ra<strong>the</strong>r than emaphasizing <strong>the</strong> Romanian reprisals against <strong>the</strong> Jews. Toward <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> November, <strong>the</strong> Romanians brought prisoners <strong>of</strong> war to Dalnic “to dig pits next to <strong>the</strong> warehouses, remove <strong>the</strong> corpses using hooks or various o<strong>the</strong>r means, and bury <strong>the</strong>m.” After <strong>the</strong> liberation <strong>of</strong> Odessa, <strong>the</strong> Communist Party’s district committee, Obkom, reported that in <strong>the</strong> nine pits <strong>the</strong>re were “more than 22,000 bodies <strong>the</strong>re, among <strong>the</strong>m children who had died <strong>of</strong> suffocation. Some bodies bore bullet wounds, severed extremities, or shattered skulls.” At a cabinet meeting on November 13, <strong>the</strong> Conducator casually asked <strong>the</strong> governor <strong>of</strong> Transnistria if <strong>the</strong> retaliatory actions against <strong>the</strong> Jews <strong>of</strong> Odessa were severe enough, to which Alexianu replied that many were killed and hanged in <strong>the</strong> streets. The first Jewish deportee columns originating from Odessa set out on foot from Dalnic toward Bogdanovka in late October 1941, passing through Berezovka in early November. Jewish villagers along <strong>the</strong> deportation route were forced into <strong>the</strong>se huge convoys as well. They were later split into smaller, more manageable groups and escorted by Romanian gendarmes with <strong>the</strong> eager assistance <strong>of</strong> Ukrainian and Russian police who had <strong>of</strong>fered <strong>the</strong>ir services just ten days after <strong>the</strong> Romanians occupied Odessa. The convoys were marched along <strong>the</strong> Odessa-Berezovka road for several days. After a day or two in Berezovka, <strong>the</strong>y continued on foot to Mostovoye and from <strong>the</strong>re on to Domanovka by way <strong>of</strong> Nikolaevka. For two weeks, <strong>the</strong> convoys trudged some 200 kilometers (124 miles) to Bogdanovka, mostly in pouring rain and freezing cold. They received no food or water, and any stragglers were shot by gendarmes. At night, <strong>the</strong> Jews were taken into <strong>the</strong> fields where <strong>the</strong>y were forced to remain on <strong>the</strong> muddy ground, and <strong>the</strong> women and girls were raped by <strong>the</strong> gendarmes and <strong>the</strong> Ukrainian militia. The gendarmes, seeking mainly jewelry and gold, conducted searches and seized anything <strong>of</strong> value, including clothing. In <strong>the</strong> mornings, <strong>the</strong> convoy would regroup, and <strong>the</strong> gendarmes would shoot whoever did not or could not get up, leaving <strong>the</strong> corpses unburied. Despite <strong>the</strong> trail <strong>of</strong> bodies marking <strong>the</strong> deportation route, <strong>the</strong> convoys actually swelled along <strong>the</strong> way by absorbing Jews from <strong>the</strong> county <strong>of</strong> Odessa. The grouping <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se Jews along <strong>the</strong> roadside was one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gendarmes’ first assignments upon arrival in <strong>the</strong> district. The second stage <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> deportations—those carried out by train—began on January 12, 1942, when 856 Jews departed for Berezovka. Gendarmerie headquarters estimated that 40,000 Jews remained in Odessa. Petala, deputy head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Odessa Evacuation Office, oversaw <strong>the</strong> operation <strong>the</strong>re, and Ciurea, his civilian counterpart, stationed himself at <strong>the</strong> prefecture in Berezovka to direct matters from <strong>the</strong> field. Colonel Matei Velcescu, head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Central Bureau for <strong>the</strong> Evacuation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jews from Odessa, coordinated <strong>the</strong> various authorities in Odessa in order to expedite <strong>the</strong> deportations. “The heads <strong>of</strong> [<strong>the</strong>
Page 1 and 2:
Final Repo
Page 3 and 4:
Germany’s war against the
Page 5 and 6:
which includes reputed experts led
Page 7 and 8:
BACKGROUND AND PRECURSORS TO THE HO
Page 9 and 10:
against which antisemites in <stron
Page 11 and 12:
declaring in the p
Page 13 and 14:
them. Thus, he con
Page 15 and 16:
We must organize ourselves for a wa
Page 17 and 18:
ureaucracy of wart
Page 19 and 20:
this direction by Nicolae C. Paules
Page 21 and 22:
promising leader of</strong
Page 23 and 24:
organized a tariff and tax strike.
Page 25 and 26:
Legion of
Page 27 and 28:
less so in Romanian society as a wh
Page 29 and 30:
This ambiguous, self-contradictory
Page 31 and 32:
The Gigurtu government began to con
Page 33 and 34:
The Case of Român
Page 35 and 36:
Cuza’s argument that it is possib
Page 37 and 38:
Românesc,” Sociologie Româneasc
Page 39 and 40:
ole in the early 1
Page 41 and 42:
European states, notably Romania an
Page 43 and 44:
Germany's immediate interests at <s
Page 45 and 46:
eligious communities, the</
Page 47 and 48:
counterpart, “when [he] first met
Page 49 and 50:
de Istorie şi Arheologie, “A. D.
Page 51 and 52:
Romania. Muler to Luthe</st
Page 53 and 54:
demands on territorial revisions an
Page 55 and 56:
military mission to come to Romania
Page 57 and 58:
High Command, informing the
Page 59 and 60: The Jews and the R
Page 61 and 62: Romanian army. Thus, in Ciudei in <
Page 63 and 64: antisemitism in Romanian society an
Page 65 and 66: Ibid., fond Micro-films, roll I.II,
Page 67 and 68: manifestations of
Page 69 and 70: power, as this power colonized West
Page 71 and 72: attraction, many Jews resettled in
Page 73 and 74: to defend itself; hence its support
Page 75 and 76: about the Holocaus
Page 77 and 78: Nichifor Crainic, “Dupa douazeci
Page 79 and 80: Isaia Tolan, “Revizuirea incetate
Page 81 and 82: X. Y. Z., “Rezolvarea problemei e
Page 83 and 84: andom searches and arrests, robberi
Page 85 and 86: Bucharest Prefectura. Almost two th
Page 87 and 88: epression was not ordered by Antone
Page 89 and 90: from villages and small towns. On J
Page 91 and 92: accident; it was contrived by <stro
Page 93 and 94: The second train to leave Iasi for
Page 95 and 96: care of th
Page 97 and 98: "premilitary," were also placed at
Page 99 and 100: according to the o
Page 101 and 102: Tighina Agreement On August 30, Tra
Page 103 and 104: elieved Transnistria would be occup
Page 105 and 106: the 331,000 Ukrain
Page 107 and 108: those inside to take the</s
Page 109: [longer] move.” After several wee
Page 113 and 114: operation and that “some
Page 115 and 116: Bukovina and Bessarabia. Einsatzkom
Page 117 and 118: other things, <str
Page 119 and 120: Berezovka district and burn <strong
Page 121 and 122: them in exchange f
Page 123 and 124: transport of 2,000
Page 125 and 126: Bulgarian, Turkish, Italian, or Swi
Page 127 and 128: were at least 122,000 Jews. Bukovin
Page 129 and 130: Wilhelm Hoettl, The Secret Front: T
Page 131 and 132: Ancel, Documents, vol. 2: no. 136,
Page 133 and 134: Carp, Cartea neagra, vol. 3: pp. 30
Page 135 and 136: Gosudartsveni Archiv Odeskoi Oblast
Page 137 and 138: Cable from the Mil
Page 139 and 140: 1-1087, p. 114; list of</st
Page 141 and 142: Ibid. “Rezolvarea problemei evrei
Page 143 and 144: child’s birth, would be considere
Page 145 and 146: Indeed, the system
Page 147 and 148: Romanianization instead of<
Page 149 and 150: The Cultural Ghettoization
Page 151 and 152: The Status of Jewi
Page 153 and 154: give up any radios able to send and
Page 155 and 156: Conclusions The anti-Jewish legisla
Page 157 and 158: L.A., no. 99, p. 344. Trei ani de g
Page 159 and 160: moral, social, and intellectual nee
Page 161 and 162:
gradually, in reality the</
Page 163 and 164:
except being defined as a Jew. I be
Page 165 and 166:
egulate and authorize, under <stron
Page 167 and 168:
y Lecca: Jews were privileged, and
Page 169 and 170:
through the activi
Page 171 and 172:
oth as a cry of re
Page 173 and 174:
After coming to power, the<
Page 175 and 176:
and then to send <
Page 177 and 178:
their non-evacuate
Page 179 and 180:
villages of <stron
Page 181 and 182:
Return of Roma Sur
Page 183 and 184:
(in many cases, the</strong
Page 185 and 186:
in Romania. History and Contemporar
Page 187 and 188:
THE ROLE OF ION ANTONESCU IN THE PL
Page 189 and 190:
December 16, 1941, meeting
Page 191 and 192:
me from carrying out the</s
Page 193 and 194:
did not do it because…the
Page 195 and 196:
more ironically, this leader’s wa
Page 197 and 198:
THE HOLOCAUST IN NORTHERN TRANSYLVA
Page 199 and 200:
Others 22 968 Magy
Page 201 and 202:
ultimatum but also consented to <st
Page 203 and 204:
military, political, and psychologi
Page 205 and 206:
command over the g
Page 207 and 208:
Huedin. The Jews of</strong
Page 209 and 210:
authorities set up two ghettos in <
Page 211 and 212:
Secuilor counties was carried out i
Page 213 and 214:
the procedure foll
Page 215 and 216:
deportation trains per day. While E
Page 217 and 218:
Deportation Trains from Nor
Page 219 and 220:
Câtcău Kackó Ciuc Csík Ciucea C
Page 221 and 222:
Rona de Sus Felsöróna Rozavica Ro
Page 223 and 224:
Bözödújfalu Bezidu Nou Budfalva
Page 225 and 226:
Nagysajó Şieu (Bistrita-Nasaud Co
Page 227 and 228:
(Indictment of Naz
Page 229 and 230:
Randolph L. Braham, comp. and ed. (
Page 231 and 232:
perceived by a significant part <st
Page 233 and 234:
Romanian government not to adopt <s
Page 235 and 236:
still alive in the
Page 237 and 238:
the Jews who worke
Page 239 and 240:
We have been informed that various
Page 241 and 242:
church bells announce the</
Page 243 and 244:
Mitropolit pleaded with Mihai Anton
Page 245 and 246:
Pozdnyakova, Yefrosiniya Starostina
Page 247 and 248:
Ibid., pp. 224-225. Ibid., pp. 46-4
Page 249 and 250:
the examined cases
Page 251 and 252:
escape with negligible punishment;
Page 253 and 254:
immense scale, enslaved millions <s
Page 255 and 256:
means. The “ethnic Christian stat
Page 257 and 258:
it is evident that the</str
Page 259 and 260:
face să pară evident că victimel
Page 261 and 262:
viaţă, 100 milioane lei amendă
Page 263 and 264:
Articolul 15 al Convenţiei de armi
Page 265 and 266:
members accepted as authoritative s
Page 267 and 268:
camp in January 1945, for several m
Page 269 and 270:
Beginning in the 1
Page 271 and 272:
such access was strictly supervised
Page 273 and 274:
enefit from translation into Englis
Page 275 and 276:
furthermore, he ha
Page 277 and 278:
lucrative Jewish business ever,”
Page 279 and 280:
deaths of thousand
Page 281 and 282:
Treptow who was residing in Romania
Page 283 and 284:
Finally, it must b
Page 285 and 286:
A.) Integral Negationism Although <
Page 287 and 288:
other genocides re
Page 289 and 290:
mankind, such as wars; the<
Page 291 and 292:
age of 44, only on
Page 293 and 294:
After deploring the</strong
Page 295 and 296:
Michael Shafir, “Ex Occidente Obs
Page 297 and 298:
See, for example, Giurescu who make
Page 299 and 300:
Randolph L. Braham, Romanian Nation
Page 301 and 302:
Mediafax, March 18, 2002, Monitorul
Page 303 and 304:
See Ibidem, pp. 3, 54-55. Ibidem, p
Page 305 and 306:
Radu Theodoru, Mareşalul, Editura
Page 307 and 308:
egained from the U
Page 309 and 310:
was a record of an
Page 311 and 312:
secondary school use. Those institu
Page 313:
including erecting statues, mountin
show all

Final Report of the International Commission on the - Minority Rights ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?