Timetable of
Memorable Data from the Racial and Genocidal Period
in the Territories Under the Romanian Authority and
Control
December 28, 1937 -- February
10, 1938: Goga-Cuza government, the first government
that introduced anti-Semites as state policy.
This government promulgates in
January 1938 the Law for the revision of citizenship, the
first manifestation of racial persecution, which will
continue in the next periods, especially during the
Antonescu government, in the years of the Second World
War.
November 24, 1939 -- July 4,
1940: Gh. Tatarescu government, period in which
Basarabia, Northern Bucovina and the Hertza region were
given up to the Soviet Union, and the anti-Jewish pogrom
took place in the city Dorohoi (70 dead). At the same
time, the first actions against the Jews (throwing out
from trains, killing of Jews in different localities) are
taking place in the country.
July 4, 1940 -- September 4,
1940: Ion Gigurtu government. On August 30th 1940, as
a result of the Vienna Dictate, the Gigurtu government
gives up Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In the period
of the Gigurtu government, the situation of the Jews from
Romania worsens, by promulgating of racial laws inspired
by the Nazi legislation.
September 4, 1940:
General Antonescu takes over the political power in
Romania.
September 6, 1940: King
Carol II is forced to abdicate in favor of his son,
Mihai.
September 7, 1940:
General Ion Antonescu gives up the Southern Dobrodgea
(known under the name of Cadrilater) to
Bulgaria.
September 14, 1940:
Romania is proclaimed by Royal Decree as National
Legionary State. By this Royal Decree, the legionary
movement is recognized as the sole movement in the new
state, and General Ion Antonescu is named the Head
("Conducator") of the Legionary State, and Chief of the
Legionary Regime. Horia Sima is named leader of the
Legionary Movement.
September 14, 1940 -- January
21, 1941: The period of legionary government.
Numerous anti-Jewish laws are adopted, and numerous cases
of maltreating and killing of Jews by legionaries take
place in the whole country. At the same time, the
legionaries carry out assassinations of numerous Romanian
personalities.
January 21-23, 1941: A
legionary rebellion takes place, with the aim to take
completely over the power by the legionaries, which has
as effect, bloody massacres, plundering and
destruction.
For the Jewish population from
Bucharest, the rebellion resulted in 130 killed, 25
temples and synagogues desecrated or set on fire, 616
shops and 547 dwellings plundered, devastated, and some
even set on fire.
The army suppressed the
rebellion, the legionary movement is interdicted, and the
power is totally taken over by General
Antonescu.
January 28, 1941: A new
government is formed, headed by General Ion Antonescu,
the ministers being exclusively militaries and
technicians, which will continue and even worsen the
racial persecutions against the Jews, by promulgating
numerous new anti-Jewish laws.
June 22, 1941: Fascist
Germany starts the war against the Soviet Union, in which
Romania is also involved.
In the period which precedes the
outbreak of the war and in that which follows, tens of
thousands of Jews are evacuated from villages and small
towns, to cities, district residences. Some are directly
evacuated to the camps, Tg. Jiu and Craiova.
June 22, 1941 -- September
1941: Period of terror and genocide against the
Jewish population from Basarabia, North-Bucovina and the
Hertza region, (about 55,000 dead).
June 29, 1941 -- July 6,
1941: The pogrom and death trains from Iasi (about
8,000 dead)
July 8, 1941: Mihai Antonescu,
ad-interim president of the Council of Ministers,
presents in the government meeting his plan of "ethnic
purification, by throwing over the state border the
Jewish elements from Basarabia and Bucovina"
August 19, 1941: An
agreement is concluded at Tighina, between Germany and
Romania, according to which the territory between the
Dnestr and the Bug, (known under the name of
Transnistria), passes under Romanian
authority.
September 12, 1941 --
November 10, 1941: Deportation of the Jews, who
remained alive, from Basarabia, Northern Bucovina and
Hertza region into Transnistria, according to a
thoroughly drawn up plan, taking into account the
deportation centers (transit camps and ghettos),
itineraries, crossing points of the Dnestr and
destination districts in Transnistria.
October 9, 1941 -- October
13, 1941: Deportation of the Jews from Southern
Bucovina to Transnistria.
October 16, 1941:
Occupation of Odessa, after a long siege.
October 22, 1941: The
building of the Romanian Military Commandment from
Odessa, (installed in the former residence of the soviet
secret police), is blown up. In this attempt, 61 persons
were killed (one general, 16 officers, 35 soldiers and 9
non-commissioned officers and civil servants).
October 23, 1941 &endash;
October 26, 1941: Bloody assassinations at Odessa.
Exterminations as reprisals take place, of thousands of
native Ukrainian Jews and Basarabian Jews, who had fled
to Odessa.
November 1941:
Concentration of native Ukrainian Jews from the center
and south of Transnistria, and of some Basarabian Jews,
in camps from the Golta district, (Bogdanovka, Dumanovka
and Acmecetka) as well as in other camps and
ghettos.
November 7, 1941 -- November
13, 1941: Deportation of the Jews from Dorohoi
district to Transnistria.
November 17, 1941: The
deportation in the autumn of 1941 of the Jews from
Basarabia, Bucovina and Dorohoi district to Transnistria
is concluded (about 142,000 Jews deported).
December 16, 1941: The
abolition of the Federation of the Union of the Jewish
Communities in Romania and the setting up of the Jews
Central in Romania.
Winter of the year
1941/1942: In the conditions of a hard winter, tens
of thousands of Jews from the ghettos and camps in
Transnistria died of starving, cold, illness and misery.
A terrible epidemic of typhus starts, which will also end
thousands of human lives.
December 21, 1941 -- January
20, 1942: Massacre of the Jews from Bogdanovka camp,
Golta district (majority of them, native Ukrainian and
Basarabian Jews).
January -- February 1942:
Deportation of the Jews from Odessa, into the camps and
ghettos from the Berezovka district and other
districts.
February 1942: Massacre
of the Jews from the camps Domanovka and Acmecetka, Golta
district (the majority being native Ukrainian and
Basarabian Jews).
February 27, 1942:
Sinking of the ship Struma (769 dead).
June 7 -- June 28, 1942:
Deportation into Transnistria of a new group of about
4,000 Jews from Cernowitz.
June 14, 1942:
Deportation into Transnistria of a new group of 450 Jews
from Dorohoi.
1942: The year of
deportation to Transnistria of about 4,000 Jews from the
Old Kingdom and Southern Transylvania.
October 15, 1942: The
decision of the Council of Ministers is communicated,
according to which no more Jews would be deported, until
an institution, for organizing this action is
created.
November 19, 1942:
Beginning of the Soviet Army's offensive at Stalingrad,
which had as effect, the destruction of the 6th German
Army, and changing of the course of the war. This had as
consequence a major change in the attitude of the
Antonescu Government concerning the fate of the Jews from
Romania.
January 1, 1943: Trip of
the first delegation of the Commission for Aid, of the
Jewish Center, lead by Fred Saraga, to organize the
assistance for the Jews, who were still alive in
Transnistria.
December 20, 1943 -- December
26, 1943: Repatriation of the Jews who were deported
from Dorohoi district and of some categories of Jews
deported from the Old Kingdom.
March 9, 1944:
Repatriation from Transnistria of 1,846 orphan
children.
March 20, 1944: The
Soviet troops reached the Dnestr and liberated the whole
north region of Transnistria, and implicitly about 50,000
deported Jews, from Basarabia and Bucovina, alive at that
date and in that region.
August 3, 1944: Sinking
of the ship Mefkure (416 Jews died).
August 23, 1944: End of
the racial persecution and of the genocide, unleashed
against the Jews from the territories under Romanian
authority (155,000 Romanian Jews and 115,000 native
Ukrainian Jews from Transnistria
exterminated).