VI. The Fate of the
Native Ukrainian Jews From
Transnistria
In Transnistria, after this
region had been taken under Romanian authority (according
to the Tighina agreement, signed on the 19th of August
1941) the Romanian authorities took over a big number of
Jews, Ukrainian natives. Before the war about
300,000 Ukrainian Jews lived in this region, from which
in Odessa, 153,194 souls (according to the Soviet census
from 1926). After the break out of the war, more than
half of these Jews withdrew with the Soviet authorities
(including those enlisted in the Soviet army), or were
killed during the long siege of Odessa or were massacred
by the Einsatzgruppe D (special German troops). From the
available data, it results that the Romanian authorities
took over about 135,000 native Ukrainian Jews.
1)
The fate of the native Ukrainian
Jews from Transnistria was particularly
tragic.
On the 16th of October 1941,
Odessa was conquered, after a long siege.
The number of Jews from Odessa,
overtaken by the Romanian authorities, is not known
exactly, but it is appreciated to have been over 80,000
souls. This number was increased with a big number of
Jews who took refuge from Basarabia.
On October 22nd 1941, the
building of the former Soviet political police (NKVD)
Headquarters, in which the Romanian Army's Command had
taken up its residence, was blown up. Due to the very
powerful explosion, the building collapsed, killing
Romanian and German military and civilians.
It results from the published
data that in the explosion 61 persons lost their life:
one general, 16 officers, 35 soldiers and 9
non-commissioned officers and civil servants.
It was supposed that, such a
charge of delayed explosive was installed by Soviet
specialists, with a high grounding.
The Romanian authorities reacted
violently, submitting the civil population, particularly
the Jews to reprisals, which were started, without
establishing the guilty persons for the
explosion.
Consequently, thousands of
Jews were hanged in public squares, or shot, without any
discernment and judgment.
In Bucharest the most stern
order given during the whole government of Marshal
Antonescu was drawn up and transmitted, issued under the
number 563/November 24, 1941.
2)
"To General
Macici:
Marshal Antonescu orders
as reprisals:
1. Execution of all Jews
from Basarabia fled to Odessa;
2. All individuals who
fall into the provisions of the order No 302858/3161
of October 23rd, 1941, still not executed and others
who can be added, will be introduced in a building,
previously mined, and then blown up. This has to be
done on the day when the funeral of our victims will
take place.
3. This order will be
destroyed after being read."
Concerning these bloody events
from Odessa, the Romanian mayor of the city, Gherman
Pântea, sent to marshal Ion Antonescu a letter
from which we are reproducing a few fragments
bellow:
"I wake up in the
morning (October 23 &endash; author's note)
facing a terrible scene, where on all principal
streets and on the corners there were 4-5 hanged
people, and the terrified population was running on
all sides. Revolted, I asked who did this cruelty,
this shame, from which we will never be able to wash
our hands in front of the civilized world. Those who
should have known told me they didn't know anything.
On the other side, of Odessa's walls an unsigned
statement of the Military Headquarters appeared, in
which was stated that all the Jews should leave the
city during the 23rd of October, and that they should
leave in columns, directly to Dalnic. The terrified
Jews left homes and their belongings, thousands of
them heading for Dalnic, but the remaining population
started a total robbery of their houses.
............................................................................................
We left for Dalnic
to return the Jews to the city. Odessa has nowadays
about 50.000 Jews that remained in the city. Reaching
the columns of thousands of people, we stopped them
and we spoke to them in Russian, telling them that a
mistake was made and the marshal gave order that they
should return to their houses.
Some heart-rending scenes
occurred.
They swooped on us,
kissing our hands, our clothes, our cars and shouting:
"Long live marshal Antonescu, our
savior"
This was a fair act,
because the population had nothing to do with the
catastrophe of October 22. The advanced part of the
column of evacuates was detained by military organs. I
was told that they will be executed."
3)
1)
See, Table
No 8, p. 23
2)
See, Mihai Pelin: "Massacres made by Romanian
Military in Odessa"
Journal "Ora" no. 223/27 July 1993 and no. 224/30 July
1993.
3)
See, Cristian Troncota: "Glory and Tragedies"
Nemira Publishing House, 2003, p. 76.
.