4. Deportation of some Jews
from the Old Kingdom and Southern Transilvania in
1942
In 1942, the Antonescu
government decided that Jews suspected to be politically
oriented to the left should be deported. Consequently 407
Jews, political prisoners at the camp Tg. Jiu, 85 Jews
from penitentiaries and 554 Jews in liberty, but supposed
to be sympathizers or have liaisons with left wing
parties or organizations, were deported. Other 578 Jews
who in 1940 solicited repatriation to Basarabia were
deported too.
On the 22nd of September 1942,
they arrived at Mostovoi, Berezovka district. Here, the
majority was handed over to the SS troops and shot. Only
16 deportees escaped and returned in 1943 to
Romania.
In the same period, hundreds of
Jews were deported in several convoys, by reason of
having been absent without leave at the compulsory work.
To these are added some Jews convicted for different
offenses.
From the Old Kingdom and
Southern Transilvania about 1.500 Jews were brought to
Transnistria for forced labor to the known Battalion 120
Balta, which has existed for nearly two years.
From the Old Kingdom and
Southern Transilvania a total of about 4.000 Jews were
deported. 1) The deportation of Jews from the
Old Kingdom and South-Transilvania was stopped due to
Queen mother, Elena.
Thus, as the SS
Hauptsturmführer Richter relates, doctor Victor
Gomoiu, after personally convincing himself, on the spot,
about the manner the Jews from Bucharest are deported to
Transnistria, presents himself to the Queen Mother Elena
and informed her about this problem.
Queen Mother Elena told King
Mihai that it is a shame what is happening to people
from this country, and that she cannot bear this anymore
and asked him to intervene.
The King phoned at once to the
ad-interim prime-minister, Mihai Antonescu, who
consequently called together a government
meeting.
The Archbishop of Sibiu, Nicolae
Balan had an important role; in the presence of Alexandru
Safran, Chief Rabbi, he phoned to Mihai Antonescu asking
him to stop the deportations to Transnistria.
The role of this high servant of
the church and justice was even more important, when he
intervened directly to Marshal Antonescu, asking him not
to deport to Poland the Jews from the Old Kingdom and
Southern Transilvania.
The decision of the Council of
Ministers is communicated on the 15th of October 1942,
that no more deportation of Jews will be made until an
institution is created for organizing this action.
Deportations to Transnistria took place later but these
were sporadic and in insignificant number.
5. Total number of Jews
from Romania deported to Transnistria
In Basarabia, North-Bucovina and
Hertza the total number of Jews, before the deportation,
resulting from the inventory drawn up on the end of
August and beginning of September 1941, (after the
massacres that took place soon following the liberation
of these territories), was 126,434 souls. If we add to
this number about 24,000 Jews who existed in
South-Bucovina and about 12,000 Jews from the Dorohoi
district (without Hertza) it results that before the
beginning of the massive deportations from this area,
that took place in the autumn of 1941, the total Jews
number was 162,434.
According to the census from May
1942, in this zone remained a number of 19,576 Jews (227
from Basarabia, 16,854 from Northern Bucovina, 179 from
South-Bucovina and 2,316 from Dorohoi) who had not been
deported.
In conclusion it results,
that in the autumn of 1941, a total of 142.858 Jews were
deported to Transnistria.
To these one have to be added
the Jews deported in 1942, respectively 4,000 from
Cernowitz, (deported during the period from June 7th to
June 28th, 1942), 450 from Dorohoi district (deported on
June 14th, 1942) and 3.968 from the Old Kingdom and
South-Transilvania.
Consequently the total number
of Jews deported to Transnistria was 151,276 persons.
2)
In this number are also included
those who were shot or died along the way.
Concerning the number of Jews
deported to Transnistria several data are in
circulation.
According to a report drawn up
at the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1943, the total number
of deportees to Transnistria could have been 110,033
persons. This number, as shown by the researcher M. Carp,
is incomplete, as it does not comprise all the Jews
deported in the autumn of 1941 and 1942.
On the other hand, in an article
published in the newspaper "Bukarester Tageblatt" (No.
4700 of August 1942) it is indicated that the number of
Jews deported to Transnistria was 185.000, this figure
being used by Jewish researchers too.
I consider, that this number is
overrated, being just a subjective evaluation of a
reporter, not correlated with the existing number of Jews
in the specified territories, before the massive
deportations.
As a result, the real number
of Jews deported from Romania to Transnistria, having a
statistical support, is about 150,000.
1)
See, Table
No. 6, p. 23
2)
See, Table
No. 5, p. 23
.