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

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The Expropriation <strong>of</strong> Jewish Property Located in Rural Areas Romanianization began with <strong>the</strong> expropriation <strong>of</strong> rural Jewish property. What distinguished <strong>the</strong> Antonescu legislation on rural property (<strong>the</strong> laws <strong>of</strong> October 4, 1940, November 12, 1940, and May 4, 1941) from <strong>the</strong> August 8, 1940, Gigurtu law was that <strong>the</strong> latter allowed Jewish landowners to sell <strong>the</strong>ir property to blood Romanians, with <strong>the</strong> Romanian state having first bid in <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> multiple <strong>of</strong>fers. The laws under Antonescu, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, ordered <strong>the</strong> nationalization <strong>of</strong> rural Jewish property upon <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficial publication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se laws in Monitorul Oficial (<strong>the</strong> Official Gazette). Among <strong>the</strong> types <strong>of</strong> “rural property” subject to expropriation were arable and infertile land, hay lands, orchards and vineyards, animal farms and animal stock, vegetable gardens, pastures, forests, ponds, lakes, cereals in stock, tools, mansions and all buildings, railways and o<strong>the</strong>r means <strong>of</strong> transportation, and agricultural, food-processing, and lumber-processing equipment. In short, <strong>the</strong>se laws prohibited Jews from acquiring or owning any form <strong>of</strong> rural property on Romanian territory. Toge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> deportation <strong>of</strong> Jews who lived in <strong>the</strong> countryside to <strong>the</strong> cities, <strong>the</strong> expropriation <strong>of</strong> rural Jewish property ensured <strong>the</strong> complete Romanianization <strong>of</strong> Romanian villages. As a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir enforcement, <strong>the</strong> Romanian state became <strong>the</strong> owner <strong>of</strong> 40,035 hectares <strong>of</strong> land worth 5,063,364,350 lei, 47,455 hectares <strong>of</strong> forests worth 2,585,980,700 lei, and 323 cereal mills and breweries, as well as o<strong>the</strong>r industrial equipment important to <strong>the</strong> rural economy. In terms <strong>of</strong> Jewish property in <strong>the</strong> territories liberated by Romanian troops after Romania entered <strong>the</strong> war (June 22, 1941), a special law was adopted on September 3, 1941, which ordered <strong>the</strong> nationalization <strong>of</strong> Jewish possessions in Bessarabia and Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Bukovina “without any notice or any o<strong>the</strong>r formalities.” By implementing this law, <strong>the</strong> Romanian state became <strong>the</strong> new owner <strong>of</strong> 27,091 hectares <strong>of</strong> arable land and 141 pieces <strong>of</strong> agricultural equipment. The property <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jewish deportees to Transnistria and Jews originally from <strong>the</strong> counties <strong>of</strong> Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Suceava, Dorohoi, Rădăuţi were legally declared abandoned property and given to <strong>the</strong> National Center for Romanianization (NCR) for clearance. The Romanianization <strong>of</strong> Jewish Capital and <strong>the</strong> Case <strong>of</strong> Commercial and Urban Property Knowing that <strong>the</strong> Romanianization <strong>of</strong> trade and industry could not be achieved overnight, <strong>the</strong> Antonescu regime did not pass a comprehensive law for <strong>the</strong> expropriation <strong>of</strong> Jewish industrial and trade enterprises in <strong>the</strong> Old Regat and sou<strong>the</strong>rn Transylvania. The strategists <strong>of</strong> Romanianization viewed <strong>the</strong> process as a gradual one, which required <strong>the</strong> preparation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “Romanian element” to occupy <strong>the</strong> spaces in <strong>the</strong> economy that would soon be vacated by Jews and also required <strong>the</strong> accumulation <strong>of</strong> capital necessary for <strong>the</strong> takeover. The replacement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jews could take place only <strong>the</strong>n. The first step <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanianization process was to take an inventory <strong>of</strong> Jewish trade and industrial property. The next step was to create a control mechanism over <strong>the</strong> stock and fixed capital <strong>of</strong> Jewish companies. Then, by <strong>the</strong> Decree-law no. 3361 <strong>of</strong> October 5, 1940, <strong>the</strong> government established a new position: Romanianization commissioner; this marked <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> total government control over Jewish property. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people appointed as Romanianization commissioners were Legionnaires. They were charged with organizing an economic system that would be “subordinated to <strong>the</strong> national interest and to <strong>the</strong> primacy <strong>of</strong> Romanian ethnicity” by formal Romanianization <strong>the</strong> Jewish companies. Although he prided himself on this institutional control mechanism borrowed from <strong>the</strong> Nazis, Ion Antonescu cautioned during a government meeting <strong>of</strong> December 13, 1940, that it could also lead to what he called a “catastrophe.”
Indeed, <strong>the</strong> system did become abusive, with many commissioners blackmailing owners. As a consequence, <strong>the</strong> Romanianization commissioners were replaced with civil servants from <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> National Economy as <strong>of</strong> January 18, 1941, according to Decree-law no. 562. The prospect <strong>of</strong> an economic disaster was avoided by stopping <strong>the</strong> disorderly transfer <strong>of</strong> ownership over trade and industrial goods. Government control over Jewish trade and industrial property was fur<strong>the</strong>r enhanced when Decree-law no. 51 <strong>of</strong> January 20, 1942, which instituted government control over corporate boards, entered into force. Special controllers supervised <strong>the</strong> Romanianization <strong>of</strong> capital, <strong>the</strong> labor supply, and distribution at <strong>the</strong> company level. Each Jewish company was thus affected. Through Decree-law no. 351 <strong>of</strong> May 2, 1942, <strong>the</strong> NCR exercised control over company incorporation as well as mergers and acquisitions. The government had priority in cases <strong>of</strong> public auction or private sale <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jewish property that was prohibited from changing ownership without authorization from <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> National Economy. Decree-law no. 196 <strong>of</strong> March 13, 1942, prohibited Jews from “concealing” <strong>the</strong>ir capital and o<strong>the</strong>r property under Romanian names. Jews were required to declare all property in enterprises whose Jewish capital was more than twenty-five percent and had been transferred to Romanian individuals or companies or to Romanian institutions within thirty days <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> publication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> law. At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>the</strong> law allowed for commercial partnerships between Jews and Romanians with <strong>the</strong> expectation that commercial partnerships would create better opportunities than expropriation. The Romanian Ministry <strong>of</strong> Justice wrote, “A partial or total expropriation at <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanianization process would have provoked a gap in <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong> businesses, which would have led to stagnation, and we want to avoid that gap.” It was thus possible to identify each share by name and to verify if <strong>the</strong> transfer <strong>of</strong> Jewish property to Romanians was based on authorizations required by <strong>the</strong> laws in force at that time. On <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> Decree-law no. 196, <strong>the</strong> government registered 50,000 statements on company ownership, <strong>of</strong> which 2,902 were for limited liability companies and 42,747 for individual companies. Registration <strong>of</strong> company stock The decree-law <strong>of</strong> March 3, 1941, was aimed at <strong>the</strong> expropriation <strong>of</strong> Jewish capital and required <strong>the</strong> registration <strong>of</strong> stock in <strong>the</strong> owner’s name, which facilitated <strong>the</strong> nationalization <strong>of</strong> stock owned by <strong>the</strong> Jews. On March 25, 1941, <strong>the</strong> government issued a new law requiring <strong>the</strong> extension <strong>of</strong> this government control to limited liability companies. Subsequently, 432,811 shares evaluated at 191 million lei were nationalized. The measure affected 2,639 industrial and trade companies. Dozens <strong>of</strong> limited liability companies having a capital base estimated at 840 million lei were transferred into Romanian hands. The aim <strong>of</strong> this control was to stop and suppress <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> Jewish and foreign capital (with <strong>the</strong> exception <strong>of</strong> German and Italian capital) and to enhance <strong>the</strong> capital endowment <strong>of</strong> ethnic Romanians. The government subjected those Jews, who due to temporary state economic interests were left in possession <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir commercial property, to a continuous state <strong>of</strong> uncertainty. They were sometimes accused <strong>of</strong> abusive commercial practices or sabotaging Romanianization, which resulted in serious administrative, non-judiciary punishments for <strong>the</strong> owner and his family. Typical in this regard is <strong>the</strong> following order <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> President <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Council <strong>of</strong> Ministers to <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Interior: By order from <strong>the</strong> Marshal we have <strong>the</strong> honor to ask you to order that all Jews who break legal provisions on prices and restrictions on <strong>the</strong> sale <strong>of</strong> certain products be deported at <strong>the</strong> Bug River. This measure is aimed both at combating disobedience <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> law and <strong>the</strong> elimination <strong>of</strong> parasitic Judaic elements who live <strong>of</strong>f breaking domestic law from crowded urban areas. Their deportation shall be conducted on <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> a decree <strong>of</strong> resolution drafted jointly by <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> National Economy and <strong>the</strong> Under Secretary <strong>of</strong> State for <strong>the</strong> Supply <strong>of</strong> Army and Civilian Population. From this point <strong>of</strong>
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Final Repo
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Germany’s war against the
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which includes reputed experts led
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BACKGROUND AND PRECURSORS TO THE HO
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against which antisemites in <stron
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declaring in the p
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them. Thus, he con
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We must organize ourselves for a wa
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ureaucracy of wart
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this direction by Nicolae C. Paules
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promising leader of</strong
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organized a tariff and tax strike.
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Legion of
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less so in Romanian society as a wh
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This ambiguous, self-contradictory
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The Gigurtu government began to con
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The Case of Român
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Cuza’s argument that it is possib
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Românesc,” Sociologie Româneasc
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ole in the early 1
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European states, notably Romania an
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Germany's immediate interests at <s
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eligious communities, the</
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counterpart, “when [he] first met
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de Istorie şi Arheologie, “A. D.
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Romania. Muler to Luthe</st
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demands on territorial revisions an
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military mission to come to Romania
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High Command, informing the
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The Jews and the R
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Romanian army. Thus, in Ciudei in <
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antisemitism in Romanian society an
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Ibid., fond Micro-films, roll I.II,
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manifestations of
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power, as this power colonized West
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attraction, many Jews resettled in
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to defend itself; hence its support
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about the Holocaus
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Nichifor Crainic, “Dupa douazeci
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Isaia Tolan, “Revizuirea incetate
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X. Y. Z., “Rezolvarea problemei e
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andom searches and arrests, robberi
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Bucharest Prefectura. Almost two th
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epression was not ordered by Antone
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from villages and small towns. On J
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accident; it was contrived by <stro
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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
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Page 141 and 142: Ibid. “Rezolvarea problemei evrei
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Page 149 and 150: The Cultural Ghettoization
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Page 155 and 156: Conclusions The anti-Jewish legisla
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Page 185 and 186: in Romania. History and Contemporar
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Page 191 and 192: me from carrying out the</s
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more ironically, this leader’s wa
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THE HOLOCAUST IN NORTHERN TRANSYLVA
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Others 22 968 Magy
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ultimatum but also consented to <st
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military, political, and psychologi
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command over the g
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Huedin. The Jews of</strong
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authorities set up two ghettos in <
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Secuilor counties was carried out i
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the procedure foll
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deportation trains per day. While E
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Deportation Trains from Nor
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Câtcău Kackó Ciuc Csík Ciucea C
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Rona de Sus Felsöróna Rozavica Ro
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Bözödújfalu Bezidu Nou Budfalva
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Nagysajó Şieu (Bistrita-Nasaud Co
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(Indictment of Naz
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Randolph L. Braham, comp. and ed. (
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perceived by a significant part <st
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Romanian government not to adopt <s
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still alive in the
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the Jews who worke
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We have been informed that various
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church bells announce the</
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Mitropolit pleaded with Mihai Anton
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Pozdnyakova, Yefrosiniya Starostina
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Ibid., pp. 224-225. Ibid., pp. 46-4
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the examined cases
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escape with negligible punishment;
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immense scale, enslaved millions <s
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means. The “ethnic Christian stat
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it is evident that the</str
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face să pară evident că victimel
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viaţă, 100 milioane lei amendă
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Articolul 15 al Convenţiei de armi
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members accepted as authoritative s
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camp in January 1945, for several m
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Beginning in the 1
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such access was strictly supervised
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enefit from translation into Englis
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furthermore, he ha
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lucrative Jewish business ever,”
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deaths of thousand
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Treptow who was residing in Romania
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Finally, it must b
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A.) Integral Negationism Although <
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other genocides re
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mankind, such as wars; the<
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age of 44, only on
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After deploring the</strong
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Michael Shafir, “Ex Occidente Obs
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See, for example, Giurescu who make
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Randolph L. Braham, Romanian Nation
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Mediafax, March 18, 2002, Monitorul
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See Ibidem, pp. 3, 54-55. Ibidem, p
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Radu Theodoru, Mareşalul, Editura
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egained from the U
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was a record of an
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secondary school use. Those institu
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including erecting statues, mountin
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