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

Transylvanian and Hungary who managed to cross over into Romania. For example, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Raoul
Sorban was awarded <strong>the</strong> Righteous among Nations medal in 1987, for rescuing Hungarian and Nor<strong>the</strong>rn
Transylvanian Jews. However, <strong>the</strong> award was contested by many survivors and historians, despite <strong>the</strong>
backing <strong>of</strong> Moshe Carmilly-Weinberger, former Chief Rabbi <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cluj Neolog Jewish community.
An Exemplary Hero: Dr. Traian Popovici
Of <strong>the</strong> Romanian Righteous among Nations, <strong>the</strong> case <strong>of</strong> Dr. Traian Popovici (1892-1946), <strong>the</strong> mayor
<strong>of</strong> Cernauti, stands out as unique. Popovici defied <strong>the</strong> orders <strong>of</strong> Antonescu and fiercely opposed <strong>the</strong>
ghettoization and <strong>the</strong> subsequent deportation <strong>of</strong> Cernauti Jews and contributed directly to <strong>the</strong> rescue <strong>of</strong>
thousands <strong>of</strong> Jews from deportation and death. His was a case <strong>of</strong> assuming responsibility for carrying out
a moral duty. Because to act or to remain passive is ultimately contingent upon making <strong>the</strong> decision to
accept or reject participation to an abominable crime, especially when <strong>the</strong> crime is “legally” covered.
Immediately after <strong>the</strong> war, Popovici wrote a book entitled, The Confession <strong>of</strong> a Consciousness, in
which he describes <strong>the</strong> tragedy <strong>of</strong> Bukovinan Jewry, which he perceived as <strong>the</strong> consequence <strong>of</strong> a
“barbaric” enterprise. At <strong>the</strong> same time, he also viewed those events as a Romanian tragedy with deep
implications for <strong>the</strong> moral consciousness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanian nation. Traian Popovici was not an adversary
<strong>of</strong> Antonescu. He confessed, “Like many o<strong>the</strong>rs in this country I believed in <strong>the</strong> myth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strong man,
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> honest, energetic, and well-meaning leader who could save a hurt country.”
What was <strong>the</strong> inner mechanism <strong>of</strong> Popovici’s formidable resolution? Popovici himself poses this
question to himself and gives <strong>the</strong> following answer:
As far as I am concerned, what gave me strength to oppose <strong>the</strong> current, be master <strong>of</strong> my own will and
oppose <strong>the</strong> powers that be, finally, to be a true human being, was <strong>the</strong> message <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> families <strong>of</strong> priests
that constitute my ancestry, a message about what it means to love mankind. What gave me strength was
<strong>the</strong> education I received in high school in Suceava, where I received <strong>the</strong> light <strong>of</strong> classical literature, where
my teachers fashioned my spirit with <strong>the</strong> values <strong>of</strong> humanitarianism which tirelessly enlightens man and
departs him from <strong>the</strong> brute animal species.
Yet many o<strong>the</strong>r people received <strong>the</strong> same education and had <strong>the</strong> same family tradition. But, unlike
most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> people with <strong>the</strong> same family and educational background, Popovici was able to turn a moral
lesson into a philosophy <strong>of</strong> life and into a set <strong>of</strong> daily ethical norms. He refused to accept <strong>the</strong> comfortable
“escape clauses” people around him <strong>of</strong>fered: <strong>of</strong>ficial orders, wartime, <strong>the</strong> advancing enemy, “national
priorities.” In decisive moments, Popovici was aware that his intransigence compensated for what he
called <strong>the</strong> “moral disorder” and <strong>the</strong> “anarchy” <strong>of</strong> most people. He was confident that he would thus build
a basis for asking for forgiveness.
Gestures <strong>of</strong> Solidarity by Romanian Intellectuals and Artists
Along with <strong>the</strong> political opposition towards a dictatorial regime, <strong>the</strong>re were many signs <strong>of</strong> solidarity
with <strong>the</strong> Jews as victims <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> policy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Antonescu’ regime. The instances <strong>of</strong> Romanians’ solidarity
with <strong>the</strong> Jews during those years have not been researched and emphasized enough. There is no doubt that
<strong>the</strong>re were much more actions <strong>of</strong> rescuing Jews during <strong>the</strong> Holocaust than those which have been made
known until now. This is an issue that has to be studied thoroughly, in order to be able to present a well
balanced image, as close as possible to <strong>the</strong> reality <strong>of</strong> 1940-1944’s.
Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gestures <strong>of</strong> solidarity belonged to simple people who din not make any kind <strong>of</strong> financial
or political calculations but who, through <strong>the</strong>ir courageous acts, saved <strong>the</strong>ir Jewish fellows from death,
without thinking <strong>of</strong> any reward. Most <strong>of</strong>ten, those actions were not recorded in documents, but <strong>the</strong>y were