Final Report of the International Commission on the - Minority Rights ...
Final Report of the International Commission on the - Minority Rights ...
Final Report of the International Commission on the - Minority Rights ...
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<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prefecture. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> county <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mureş-Turda <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> was carried out under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> directi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Andor Joós and Zsigm<strong>on</strong>d Mart<strong>on</strong>, prefect and deputy prefect respectively.<br />
In Odorheiu County and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> city <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sfântu Gheorghe, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> county seat, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghettoizati<strong>on</strong> was carried<br />
out under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> general guidance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Dezsö Gálfy, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prefect. Immediate command in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> county was<br />
exercised by deputy prefect István B<strong>on</strong>da and Lt.-Col. László Kiss, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> commander <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> gendarmerie in<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> county. In Sfântu Gheorghe proper <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> roundup was directed by Maj. Ferenc Filó and police chief<br />
János Zsigm<strong>on</strong>d.<br />
As in all o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r major ghettos, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Târgu Mureş ghetto had a “screening commissi<strong>on</strong>” whose functi<strong>on</strong> it<br />
was to evaluate petiti<strong>on</strong>s from Jews, including claims for exempti<strong>on</strong> status. The commissi<strong>on</strong>, whose<br />
attitude towards Jews was utterly negative, c<strong>on</strong>sisted <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Májay, Bedö, and Col. Loránt Bocskor <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
gendarmerie. In Târgu Mureş also <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>re was a “mint,” located in a small building within <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto.<br />
Am<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> torturers active in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> drive for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> acquisiti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jewish valuables were Ferenc Sallós and<br />
Captains K<strong>on</strong>ya and Pintér <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> gendarmerie.<br />
The first transport was entrained for Auschwitz <strong>on</strong> May 27, 1944. By June 8, when <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> third and last<br />
transport departed, 7,549 Jews had been removed from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se local ghettos.<br />
Reghin. The ghetto <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Reghin was established in a totally inadequate brickyard selected by mayor<br />
Imre Schmidt and police chief János Dudás. Both <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>m had attended <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Târgu Mureş C<strong>on</strong>ference with<br />
Endre <strong>on</strong> April 28, 1944. They were assisted in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> selecti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto site and in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> roundup <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Jews by Maj. László Komáromi, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> head <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> H<strong>on</strong>véd forces in Reghin; Lt. G. Szentpály Kálmán, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
commander <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> local gendarmerie unit; and Jenö Csordácsics, a counselor in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> mayor’s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fice and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
local “expert” <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jewish questi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Most <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jews were housed in brick-drying sheds without walls. A number had to live in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> open,<br />
and a few were allowed to stay in houses right near <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> edge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> city. At its peak <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
ghetto populati<strong>on</strong> was 4,000 people, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> whom approximately 1,400 were from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> town itself. The o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs<br />
were brought in from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> eastern part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mureş-Turda County and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> nor<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Ciuc County.<br />
The Jews <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Gheorgheni in Ciuc County were rounded up under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> directi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> mayor Mátyás Tóth<br />
and police chief Géza Polánkai. Even exempted Jews were picked up al<strong>on</strong>g with rest and held toge<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r<br />
with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rs in a local primary school, where <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> searches for valuables were c<strong>on</strong>ducted by Beéa<br />
Ferenczi, a member <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> local police department. After three days at <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> school, where <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were given<br />
almost no food, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jews were transferred to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Reghin ghetto.<br />
The Reghin ghetto was guarded by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> local police and a special unit <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 40 gendarmes from Szeged.<br />
C<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto were similar to what <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y were elsewhere. Searches for valuables were<br />
performed by <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> police and gendarmerie <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ficers guarding <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto and assisted by Pál Bányai, Balázs<br />
Biró, András Fehér, and István Gösi, members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a special gendarme investigative unit. To help with <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
“interrogati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jews from Gheorgheni, Béla Ferenczi was summ<strong>on</strong>ed from that town. In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pursuit<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> hidden valuables, Irma Lovas was in charge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vaginal searches. The ghetto was under <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> immediate<br />
command <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> János Dudás.<br />
Sfântu Gheorghe. The ghetto <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sfântu Gheorghe held <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> town’s local Jews as well as those from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
small communities in Trei Scaune County and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rn part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Ciuc County. The total ghetto<br />
populati<strong>on</strong> was 850. The commissi<strong>on</strong> for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> selecti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ghetto site c<strong>on</strong>sisted <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Gábor Szentiványi,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> prefect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Trei Scaune County, who behaved quite decently toward <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> rural Jews; Andor Barabás, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
deputy prefect; István Vincze, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> chief <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sfântu Gheorghe police; and Lt.-Col. Balla, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> commander<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> gendarmes in Trei Scaune County. All <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>se had attended <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Târgu Mureş C<strong>on</strong>ference with<br />
Endre. The ghettoizati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> few hundreds <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Jews from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> town <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Sfântu Gheorghe differed from