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).