IV. Deportation of
the Jews from Romania to Transnistria
For the Romanian government the
purpose of the deportation of the Jews from Basarabia,
Bucovina and the Dorohoi district was the ethnic
purification of these territories through forced
expulsion of the Jewish elements.
At the meeting of the Council of
Ministers on July 8, 1941, 1) the prime
minister Mihai Antonescu declared:
"….I am for the
forced migration of the whole Jewish element from
Basarabia, and Bucovina, and therefore they have to be
thrown over the border.
I do not know after how
many centuries the Romanian Nation will meet again
such a liberty of action, the possibility of ethnic
purification and national
revision….."
The mass deportation of the Jews
from Basarabia, Bucovina and Dorohoi took place in the
period September-November 1941. In 1942 were also
deported about 4.000 Jews from the ghetto of Cernowitz, a
new lot of 450 Jews from Dorohoi, as well as some from
the Old Kingdom (including Bucharest).
1. Deportation of the
Jews from Basarabia, Northern Bucovina and the Hertza
Region
Based on the order received from
the High Praetor's service, the Gendarme Inspectorate of
Basarabia drew up the instructions for the deportation of
the Jews from Basarabia.
According to these instructions,
approved by the High Praetor, "In view of crossing the
Dnestr into the Ukraine, the evacuation of the 22,150
Jews from the camp Vertujeni-Soroca will begin on
September 12, 1941, exactly at 8 o'clock."
The deportation took place
following two itineraries: one to the north through
Cremenea, Gura Camenea, Soroca, Cosauti, and the second
through Temeleuti, Vascauti, Cusmirca, Mateuti,
Rezina.
At the beginning of October the
deportation continued with Jews from the camps Edinet and
Secureni. From these camps, a part of the columns crossed
the Dnestr at Atachi.
The camp from Marculesti was
transformed in a gathering camp for some of the columns
coming from Bucovina and from other camps, bound to cross
the Dnestr at Rezina.
It has to be mentioned that the
removing of the Jews took place on foot in hard
conditions, in the cold rainy season and sometimes, even
snow. Many were dressed with summer clothing and without
any possibility of food, for a 6-8 days long
trip.
On their way the Jews were
plundered, beaten, driven like cattle and those who
couldn't hold out in the columns, were shot.
In the investigation report No.
2 of the commission, set up according to Marshal
Antonescu's order, it is textually stated that lieutenant
Rosca Augustin, charged with the evacuation of the Jews,
reported: "According to the General Headquarters
command the Jews, unable to hold out in the columns, due
to powerlessness or illness must be executed." For
this purpose at each ten kilometers a grave for about 100
persons has to be made where the unable will be gathered
and shot. Lieutenant Rosca Augustin declared before the
commission, that he has just executed the received
orders, and as a result about 500 Jews were shot from
those evacuated, on the way Secureni-Cosauti.
2)
Along the roads of the
deportees, unbelievable scenes happened. Some gendarmes
sold the corpses of those who were shot to peasants for
their clothes. Those, after stripping them, threw the
bodies on the edge of the road. The place looked like
hell.
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Dr.
Liviu Beris
Photo
Credit: Vivid.ro
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Dr. Eng. Liviu Beris describes us, as an
eyewitness, the way in which the Jews were deported from
the transit camp of Edinet in Transnistria:
"In the autumn we
went by foot forward, on our way to the river Dnestr,
and those who were to far behind, were
shot.
I remember seeing an old
man, who stopped for his physiological needs, and who
was shot. Some peasants, who were waiting on the side
of the road, immediately undressed him. This was a
scene that unfortunately was not singular and that
often makes me stay awake during the
night.
When we arrived in a
village, Corbu, not far from the shore of the river
Dnestr, we were taken on a hill for the night, being
wet, beaten and tired, in a cruel misery. At night it
was getting very cold and we all thought that we
shouldn't fell asleep because we would certainly
freeze. I didn't sleep at all, and in the morning,
when the departure order was given, I still have in
front of my eyes the boots of the gendarmes, kicking
over and over again the frozen corpses of those who
couldn't stand up. On that night, on that hill, many
Jews passed in the world of the shadows. I don't
remember all their names, but I know they were
many".
During the month of October the
deportation of Jews from the big ghettos, Cernowitz and
Kishinev took place.
The number of Jews in Cernowitz
was about 50.000.
Due to the efforts made,
Traian Popovici, mayor of the city Cernowitz, as
well as by some of his collaborators, on the 15th of
October they obtained from Marshal Antonescu the approval
to except from deportation and to retain about 20.000
Jews necessary for the economical activity of the
city.
This is how the former mayor
describes the deportation of the rest of 30.000 Jews, who
were forced to take the way of exile.
"Heart rending
scenes took place on the embarking platform and at the
departing trains. The separation of members of the
same family, the children leaving and the parents
remaining, or the reverse, separation of brothers and
sisters, even separation between husband and wife,
filled the air with lamentations and moved even the
most callous hearts.
It was a separation
forever, the departure of ones to suffering and death,
the others remaining in slavery and
sorrow.
Dispossession of the
deportees at the gathering points, of all items that
they still possessed, confiscation and destroying of
all personal documents, so that their trace should be
lost, their departure in ferries over the Dnestr, the
marches on foot, in wind, rain, sleet and mud,
barefoot and hungry, are like pages from Dante's
tragedies, of apocalyptic cruelty.
Just in one transport,
from 60 babies, only one survived. The tired ones,
those who stumbled, were abandoned in starving state
at the borders of the roads, left to their fate, booty
to eagles and dogs." 3)
In Kishinev, the Jews
encountered the same cruel faith.
At the census in 1930, in the
city were 41,505 Jews, representing 36% of the total
population. After some authors of that time, the number
of the Jews from Kishinev over 50,000.
After the war started, the city
was bombed by the German airplanes and lots of Jews were
among the victims.
Because of the bombardments and
the chaos, an important number of Jews ran away by carts
or by foot, to the river Dnestr.
A big part of them were caught
by the German troops and shot by the special units of
"field clearing".
The Romanian Army entered
Kishinev on July the 16th, 1941. The Jews that remained
the city were robbed and a lot of them were
murdered.
After the situation started to
calm down, some fugitive Jews returned to Kishinev, their
total number becoming over 11,000 souls.
On July 24, 1941, by the order
of the Governor Voiculescu, the Ghetto in Kishinev was
established.
For more than 2 months before
the deportation, the Jews in Kishinev ghetto were exposed
to terror, murder and robbery.
Hundreds of men and women were
sent to different working sites (Visterniceni, Ghidighici
etc.), where most of them were shot by Romanian and
German field police after finishing their
labor.
In the ghetto, because of the
unbearable living conditions, an important number of Jews
died of hunger and diseases.
Even though in the ghetto were
brought Jews from other localities near by, the
population diminished because of the important number of
victims.
The deportation of the Jews from
the ghetto of Kishinev started on October 8, 1941, most
of the columns passing the river Dnestr at
Rezina.
After a few days of
interruption, the deportation restarted on October the
14th and ended on October 30, 1941.
From the ghetto of Kishinev a
total number of 10,000 Jews were deported and many of
these died before crossing the river Dnestr.
On the 14th of November 1941,
colonel Dumitrescu sent to the Governor of Basarabia two
lists with Jews, comprising 44 respectively 16 persons,
for being excepted from deportation. These persons were
former members of the local parliament that pronounced in
1918 the unification with Romania, invalids and former
fighters in the First World War, as well as Jews married
to Christians.
The request was refused, with
the mention that in Basarabia the Jewish problem has to
be solved by deporting all the Jews.
The number of Jews who were not
deported was 16,794 in Cernowitz, 60 in Strojinet and 227
in Basarabia. 4)
In June 1942, other 4,000 Jews
were deported from Cernowitz.
On the whole, 113,000 Jews
5) from Basarabia, Northern Bucovina and
Hertza were deported to Transnistria.
1)
See, Benjamin transcripts, July 8, 1941, A.S.B.,
FOND P.C. M.
Cbinet File 475/1941, pp. 103-128.
2)
See, M. Carp: "The Black Book," vol. 3, p. 68,
Diogene Publishing House, 1996.
3)
See, M. Carp: "The Black Book," vol. 3, p. 164,
Diogene Publishing House, 1996.
4)
According to the census of May 1942 of inhabitants
having Jewish blood.
5)
See, Table
No. 5, p. 23.
.