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

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Kamenca and Gura-Cainari. By July 9, <strong>the</strong> wave <strong>of</strong> exterminations implemented by <strong>the</strong> combined German-Romanian forces had reached <strong>the</strong> Jewish settlements <strong>of</strong> Plasa Nistrului (near Cernauti), Zonlachie, Rapujinet and Cotmani in Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Bukovina, and dozens <strong>of</strong> small villages became judenrein (cleansed <strong>of</strong> Jews). On July 11, Lincauti and <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong> Cepelauti-Hotin were “cleansed” <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir Jewish inhabitants. On <strong>the</strong> same day, Einsatzgruppe D began its activities at Balti. On July 12, <strong>the</strong> 300 Jews <strong>of</strong> Climauti-Soroca were shot. July 17 marked <strong>the</strong> onset <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> extermination and deportation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tens <strong>of</strong> thousands <strong>of</strong> Jews <strong>of</strong> Chisinau. Several thousand Jews, perhaps as many as 10,000, were killed on that single day. In <strong>the</strong> month <strong>of</strong> July, <strong>the</strong> Einsatzgruppe also shot 682 Jews in Cernauti, 551 in Chisinau, and 155 in Tighina, and by August 19 it had murdered 4,425 Jews in <strong>the</strong> area between Hotin and Iampol. The liquidation <strong>of</strong> Bessarabia’s greatest Jewish center had thus begun and would continue until <strong>the</strong> last Jew was exterminated or deported in late October 1941. The slaughter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jews <strong>of</strong> Cetatea Alba (sou<strong>the</strong>rn Bessarabia) followed approximately <strong>the</strong> same pattern. This was <strong>the</strong> general itinerary <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first phase <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Romanian Holocaust, implemented with <strong>the</strong> aid, but not under <strong>the</strong> coercion, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> German Eleventh Army and Einsatzgruppe D. The Gendarmerie The gendarmerie was ordered to “cleanse <strong>the</strong> land” a few days before June 21, 1941, in three places in Moldavia: Roman, Falticeni, and Galati. On June 18 and 19, <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie legions to be deployed were told about <strong>the</strong> special orders. The inspector general <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie, General Constantin (Piki) Vasiliu, instructed <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers in Roman: “The first measure you must undertake is cleansing <strong>the</strong> land. By cleansing <strong>the</strong> land we understand: exterminate on <strong>the</strong> spot all Jews in rural areas; imprison in ghettos all Jews in urban areas; arrest all suspects, party activists, and people who held accountable positions under <strong>the</strong> Soviet authority, and send <strong>the</strong>m under escort to <strong>the</strong> legion.” As one <strong>of</strong> his subordinates recorded later, <strong>the</strong> commander <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Orhei gendarmerie legion told his subordinates to “exterminate all Jews, from babies to <strong>the</strong> impotent old man; all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m endanger <strong>the</strong> Romanian nation.” On July 9, <strong>the</strong> administrative inspector general <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> new Bessarabian government reported to <strong>the</strong> governor, General C. Voiculescu, from Bălţi County, that “<strong>the</strong> cleansing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> land” began as soon as <strong>the</strong> gendarmes and police arrived. In Roman, <strong>the</strong> Orhei Legion was given <strong>the</strong> order to “cleanse <strong>the</strong> land” by its commander, Major Filip Bechi. He spoke frankly, saying that <strong>the</strong>y were “going to Bessarabia, where one must cleanse <strong>the</strong> terrain entirely <strong>of</strong> Jews.” He made a second announcement to <strong>the</strong> chiefs <strong>of</strong> sections that “<strong>the</strong> Jews must be shot.” Some days later, on <strong>the</strong> orders <strong>of</strong> Bechi and under <strong>the</strong> supervision <strong>of</strong> his deputy, Captain Iulian Adamovici, <strong>the</strong> Orhei Legion was dispatched to <strong>the</strong> frontier village <strong>of</strong> Ungheni. Platoon leader Vasile Eftimie, secretary <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> legion and commander <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Security Police Squad, mimeographed and distributed to all section and post heads <strong>the</strong> orders for “cleansing <strong>the</strong> land” as <strong>the</strong>y had been elucidated at Roman. The Orhei Legion <strong>the</strong>n crossed <strong>the</strong> Balti county on foot, and on July 12 arrived at Comova, <strong>the</strong> first village <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Orhei county, where <strong>the</strong> gendarmes began shooting <strong>the</strong> local Jews. The route <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Orhei Legion, which can be precisely determined, serves as an example <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong> order was issued and implemented. In rural areas, <strong>the</strong> gendarmes were <strong>the</strong> principal executors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> orders for "cleansing <strong>the</strong> land.” The majority had served in <strong>the</strong> same villages prior to 1940, and <strong>the</strong>ir familiarity with <strong>the</strong> terrain and <strong>the</strong> Jewish inhabitants facilitated <strong>the</strong>ir task. The inspector general <strong>of</strong> Bukovina, Colonel Ion Manecuta, and General Ion Topor in Bessarabia headed <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie. The territory was apportioned among <strong>the</strong> legions, each headed by a colonel or lieutenant colonel. The gendarmerie command, aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>of</strong> its task—not only <strong>the</strong> murder <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jews, but also <strong>the</strong> identification and arrest <strong>of</strong> suspects, deserters, stranded Soviet soldiers, partisans and parachutists, among o<strong>the</strong>rs— reinforced <strong>the</strong> gendarmes with reserves, young soldiers mobilized to serve for a limited period in <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie ra<strong>the</strong>r than in <strong>the</strong> regular army. Young local men, aged eighteen to twenty-one, known as <strong>the</strong>
"premilitary," were also placed at <strong>the</strong> disposal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie after a short training period. A network <strong>of</strong> informers, which had kept an eye on <strong>the</strong> population since 1940, also served <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie, as did local volunteers who helped identify, arrest, and murder Jews. On <strong>the</strong>ir arrival in <strong>the</strong> villages, <strong>the</strong> gendarmes first would arrest <strong>the</strong> Jews. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se arrests were carried out with <strong>the</strong> assistance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> local population and informers. On some occasions, even <strong>the</strong> local priests came to <strong>the</strong> aid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> gendarmerie. As a rule, Jews turned over to <strong>the</strong> gendarmes by <strong>the</strong> army had no chance <strong>of</strong> survival and were shot immediately. Strange as it may seem, <strong>the</strong> most serious problem for <strong>the</strong> murdering gendarmes was burying <strong>the</strong> victims, not killing <strong>the</strong>m, which was considered to be "clean" work. A report sent by <strong>the</strong> chief <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Security Police and SD to von Ribbentrop, on October 30, 1941, stated: The way in which <strong>the</strong> Romanians are dealing with <strong>the</strong> Jews lacks any method. No objections could be raised against <strong>the</strong> numerous executions <strong>of</strong> Jews, but <strong>the</strong> technical preparations and <strong>the</strong> executions <strong>the</strong>mselves were totally inadequate. The Romanians usually left <strong>the</strong> victims’ bodies where <strong>the</strong>y were shot, without trying to bury <strong>the</strong>m. The Einsatzkommandos issued instructions to <strong>the</strong> Romanian police to proceed somewhat more systematically in this matter. But despite German protests, <strong>the</strong> system <strong>of</strong> forcing Jews to dig <strong>the</strong>ir own graves was not generally adopted since <strong>the</strong> gendarmes used deceit and subterfuge to kill with speed, thus precluding any forewarning by making <strong>the</strong> victims dig pits. However, <strong>the</strong>y <strong>of</strong>ten made use <strong>of</strong> trenches (antitank and o<strong>the</strong>rs) left from <strong>the</strong> Soviet prewar days, making civilians cover <strong>the</strong> slain bodies with earth before <strong>the</strong> next batch <strong>of</strong> victims was brought to <strong>the</strong> execution site. The Prut and Raut Rivers, and <strong>the</strong> Dniester in particular, became <strong>the</strong> execution and burial sites favored by <strong>the</strong> gendarmes as well as by <strong>the</strong> Romanian and German armies. The first 300 Jewish victims from Storojinet were pushed into <strong>the</strong> water by <strong>the</strong> gendarmes and shot, while some sixty Jews managed to save <strong>the</strong>ir lives by swimming to <strong>the</strong> opposite bank <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dniester. On August 6, <strong>the</strong> gendarmes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 23rd Police Company shot 200 Jews and threw <strong>the</strong>ir bodies into <strong>the</strong> Dniester. Members <strong>of</strong> Einsatzgruppe D shot 800 Jews on <strong>the</strong> bank <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dniester on August 17 because <strong>the</strong>y were unable to return to Bessarabia by crossing <strong>the</strong> river as <strong>the</strong>y had been ordered. The Jews <strong>of</strong> Noua Sulita, who reached <strong>the</strong> bank <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dniester on August 6, saw <strong>the</strong> river covered with <strong>the</strong> floating bodies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> last victims. In <strong>the</strong> summer and fall <strong>of</strong> 1941, on <strong>the</strong> roads and in <strong>the</strong> fields <strong>of</strong> Bessarabia, Jews walked in rows, accompanied by gendarmes and followed by peasants, who were mobilized by gendarmes, and clerks, mobilized by village mayors, carrying shovels and spades, all going to <strong>the</strong> execution fields. They waited patiently until <strong>the</strong> gendarmes had shot <strong>the</strong> Jews, <strong>the</strong>n buried <strong>the</strong>m and returned home with <strong>the</strong> victims’ clo<strong>the</strong>s and o<strong>the</strong>r personal effects; <strong>the</strong> valuables and money were taken by <strong>the</strong> gendarmes. Quite <strong>of</strong>ten <strong>the</strong> gendarmes would get drunk and revel all night after such a day’s work. In <strong>the</strong> village <strong>of</strong> Grigoriefca, in Lapusna County, <strong>the</strong>y so indulged after murdering 60 Jewish men and before liquidating ano<strong>the</strong>r 140 <strong>the</strong> next day; a few gendarmes remained in <strong>the</strong> killing field “to guard <strong>the</strong> corpses.” Back in Bucharest, after <strong>the</strong> liberation <strong>of</strong> Bessarabia and Bukovina and before charging on Odessa, Antonescu outlined his ideas concerning his war against <strong>the</strong> Jews: The fight is bitter. It is a fight to life or death. It is a fight between us and <strong>the</strong> Germans, on <strong>the</strong> one hand, and <strong>the</strong> Jews, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r….I shall undertake a work <strong>of</strong> complete cleansing, <strong>of</strong> Jews and <strong>of</strong> all o<strong>the</strong>rs who have snuck up on us….Had we not started this war, to cleanse our race <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se people who sap our economic, national, and physical life, we would be cursed with complete disappearance….Consequently, our policy in this regard is to achieve a homogenous whole in Bessarabia,
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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
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: care of th
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 and 110: [longer] move.” After several wee
Page 111 and 112: eappear a few seconds later and sig
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
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Romanianization instead of<
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The Cultural Ghettoization
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The Status of Jewi
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give up any radios able to send and
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Conclusions The anti-Jewish legisla
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L.A., no. 99, p. 344. Trei ani de g
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moral, social, and intellectual nee
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gradually, in reality the</
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except being defined as a Jew. I be
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egulate and authorize, under <stron
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y Lecca: Jews were privileged, and
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through the activi
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oth as a cry of re
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After coming to power, the<
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and then to send <
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their non-evacuate
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villages of <stron
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Return of Roma Sur
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(in many cases, the</strong
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in Romania. History and Contemporar
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THE ROLE OF ION ANTONESCU IN THE PL
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December 16, 1941, meeting
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me from carrying out the</s
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did not do it because…the
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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
Page 237 and 238:
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
Page 247 and 248:
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
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
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egained from the U
Page 309 and 310:
was a record of an
Page 311 and 312:
secondary school use. Those institu
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including erecting statues, mountin
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