Jewish Resistance to “Romanianization,” 1940–44 Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide

Series Editors: Thomas Kühne, Deborah Mayersen, and Tom Lawson

Genocide has shaped human experience throughout history and is one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide is dedicated to the study of this phenomenon across its entire geographic, chronological, and thematic range. The series acts as a forum to debate and discuss the nature, the variety, and the concepts of genocide. In addition to histories of the causes, course, and perpetration of genocide, the series devotes attention to genocide’s victims, its aftermaths and consequences, its representation and memorialization, and to genocide prevention. Palgrave Studies in the History of Genocide encompasses both comparative work, which considers genocide across time and space, and specific case studies.

Titles include

S¸tefan Cristian Ionescu JEWISH RESISTANCE TO “ROMANIANIZATION,” 1940–44

Forthcoming titles

Jesse Shipway THE MEMORY OF GENOCIDE IN TASMANIA, 1803–2013

Deborah Mayersen THE UNITED NATIONS AND GENOCIDE

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S¸tefan Cristian Ionescu Chapman University, USA © Ştefan Cristian Ionescu 2015 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-48458-1 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ionescu, Stefan Cristian, 1976– author. Jewish resistance to “romanianization”, 1940–44 / Stefan Cristian Ionescu, Chapman University, USA. pages cm — (Palgrave studies in the history of Genocide)

1. Jews—Romania—History—20th century. 2. Jews—Persecutions—Romania— History—20th century. 3 Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945)—Romania. 4. Antisemitism—Romania—History—20th century. 5. Romania—Politics and government—1914–1944. 6. Romania—Ethnic relations. I. Title. DS135.R7I64 2015 940.53'1809498—dc23 2014049692

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. For all my professors, who honored me with their wisdom and patience. This page intentionally left blank Contents

List of Maps viii

Preface and Acknowledgments ix

List of Abbreviations xiii

1 Introduction: World War II Bucharest and Its Jews 1

2 Romanianization Legislation: Concepts, (Mis)interpretations, and Conflicts 34

3 The Romanianization Bureaucracy 66

4 The Beneficiaries of Romanianization 89

5 Romanianization versus Germanization 110

6 Deportation and Robbery: The Roma Targets of Romanianization 124

7 Jewish Legal Resistance to Romanianization 147

8 Sabotaging the Process of Romanianization 162

9 Conclusion 184

Notes 191

Bibliography 248

Index 261 List of Maps

1 Europe 1933, Romania indicated, map – US Holocaust Memorial Museum 1 2 Romania, 1933, map – US Holocaust Memorial Museum 2 3 Romania, 1942, map – US Holocaust Memorial Museum 2

viii Preface and Acknowledgments

When I first started reading the autobiographical writings of Jewish Hol- ocaust survivors from Romania, such as Elie Wiesel, Aharon Appelfeld, Miram Korber-Bercovici, Mihail Sebastian, and Norman Manea, I never imagined that my intellectual curiosity would transform into a long- term scholarly endeavor documenting the lives and struggles of Bucha- rest Jews and Roma during the Holocaust. The result of that personal journey is this book, which examines the interpersonal and interinsti- tutional dynamics of a World-War-II Bucharest focused on the project of economic Romanianization, and tells a story of the power of basic human feelings – greed, opportunism, friendship, and resilience – which were exacerbated during the dark times of World War II. I would not have been able to complete this work without the generous support and guidance of many people and institutions. I am grateful to them all but wary that, due to limited space, I will be able to acknowledge only some of the support I have received. This book and its strengths are also theirs while its weaknesses are only mine. Foremost, my family deserves my gratitude for their constant love, support, and patience. Even though they constantly worried about me and wished I could be closer to Bucharest, they also understood that my passion for this research prevented me from spending as much time with them as I wanted to. This book project benefited from the tremendous support given by the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark Uni- versity. The Center’s dedicated scholars and friendly staff welcomed me like family from my first days in the US. Most importantly, I extend special thanks to Deborah Dwork, Rose Professor of Holocaust history, the founder and the driving force behind the success of the Strassler Center. An outstanding researcher and mentor, Dr Dwork played a crucial role in the development and completion of this book. Her intuition, patience, and advice proved invaluable for the success of my project. I am also deeply grateful to two other scholars, Dr Maria Bucur (Indiana University) and Dr Radu Ioanid, who guided my work with great knowledge and enthusiasm. At Clark I also benefited from discussions with remarkable colleagues including Taner Akcam, Cristina Andriani, Betsy Anthony, Josh Franklin, Michael Geheran, Adara Goldberg, Alexis Herr,

ix x Preface and Acknowledgments

Thomas Kühne, Kurt Umit, Jeff Koerber, Natalya Lazar, Jody Manning, Robert Melson, Michael Nolte, Ilana Offenberger, Raz Segal, Srinivasan Sitaraman, Joanna Sliwa, Valerie Sperling, Shelly Tenenbaum, Henry Theriault, Jaan Valsiner, and Johanna Ray-Vollhardt. Their enthusiasm and friendship encouraged me in my endeavors. Through the Center I also met wonderful people for whose friendship and constant support I am very thankful. I am especially grateful to Tatyana Macaulay, Ghislaine Vaughn, Margaret Hillard, Mary Jane Rein, Katrin Kullasepp, Adrian Popescu Sumant Pustake, and Emily Terrana. Worcester residents, such as the Shabo and Rus families, made my stay in Massachusetts a special chapter of my life. Wonderful friends have hosted me in my travels across the US: the Franklin family from Yonkers, New York, and Dovico family from Boston, Massachusetts. The book would not have been possible without the generous support of the Claims Conference and the Rose Family, who sponsored the first years of my research. Thank you! The support from the Claims Con- ference proved crucial for the second time during my book project: in 2011 I was awarded a Saul Kagan Fellowship in Advanced Shoah Studies, which supported me during the last two years of writing. I thank the friendly managers, Lori Schuldiner Schor and Chavie Brumer, and the academic committee, comprised of extraordinary scholars, who proved to be great mentors as well: Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, David Cesa- rani, Steven Katz, Dalia Ofer, Alvin Rosenfeld, and David Silberklang. The Saul Kagan Fellowship was beneficial for my research in another way: it allowed me the opportunity to meet the other Claims Confer- ence fellows – promising emerging scholars of Holocaust studies – whose wisdom, knowledge, and friendship I greatly enjoyed. I also owe a great debt to the helpful archivists and historians who guided my journey through various archives and libraries worldwide. First of all, my project profited tremendously from the collections of the Romanian National Archives, Municipal Archives, and the Historical Research Center of the Romanian Jewish Community, located in Bucha- rest. Knowledgeable staff members not only aided me with their remarkable professional expertise, but also honored me with their patience and friendship. Thank you! Additionally, the library and archives from the Institute for Advanced Holocaust Studies at USHMM in Washing- ton, DC, proved a great place for research and intellectual debate. At USHMM, I was fortunate to receive guidance from many amazing scholars, to whom I am extremely grateful. Martin Dean, whose feedback and excellent scholarship on the robbery of the Jews by the Nazis aided me so much, deserves a special mention. Preface and Acknowledgments xi

I also must thank numerous scholars I met at various conferences, seminars, and research trips, whose advice and questions have moved this project forward: Viorel Achim, Tal Brutmann, Donald Bloxham, Igor Casu, Roland Clark, Camelia Crăciun, David M. Crowe, Jean Marc-Drey- fus, Diana Dumitru, Alexandra Garbarini, Constantin Iordachi; Michelle Kelso, Emil Kerenji, Tom Lawson, Wendy Lower; Dana Mihăilescu, Zol- tán Rostás, Vladimir Solonari, Benjamin M. Thorne, Marius Turda, Petre Matei, Irina Nastasă-Matei, Mihai Olaru, and Ügur Ümit Üngor. I want to extend my thanks to my former colleagues from the Elie Wiesel Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania – their friendship and intellectual challenges also helped me to finish this project. Without the intellectual guidance and mentorship of my former colleagues and professors from the Goren Goldstein Center for Hebrew Studies at the University of Bucharest and the History and Nationalism Departments at the Central European University of Budapest, this book would never have been started. I am greatly indebted to all my colleagues at Chapman University, especially those from the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education, Dale E. Fowler School of Law, and the History Department. Their friendship and encour- agement made possible the revision of the manuscript for publication. Last, but not least, I am eager to acknowledge the wonderful support of my outstanding Palgrave Macmillan editors, Emily Russell, Clare Mence, and her assistant, Angharad Bishop; Dane Torbeck; and the anonymous reviewers of my manuscript.

Permissions

Parts of Chapters 8 and 5 were published in “Implementing the Romani- zation of Employment in 1941 Bucharest: Bureaucratic and Economic Sabotage of the ‘Aryanization’ of the Romanian Economy,” Holocaust Studies: A Journal of Culture and History 16, no. 1–2, Summer/Autumn (2010); reprinted in Thomas Kuhne and Tom Lawson (eds.), The Holo- caust and Local History (London, and Portland OR: Vallentine Mitchell, 2011). I am grateful to Vallentine Mitchell Publishers for its permission to re-use the material. Parts of Chapters 7 and 8 were published in “Legal Tools instead of Weapons: Jewish Resistance to the Romanianization of Urban Real Estate and Businesses during the Antonescu Regime,” in Patrick Henry (ed.), Jewish Resistance to the Nazis (Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2014), 448–482. I thank the Catholic University of America Press for its permission to re-use the material. xii Preface and Acknowledgments

Part of chapter 5 was published in: “Germans in World War II Romania and their Economic Expansion Efforts during the Process of Romaniani- zation,” Buletinul Centrului, Muzeului si Arhivei Istorice a Evreilor din Roma- nia, no. 14 (2012). I am grateful to Hasefer Publishing House for their permission to use the material. List of Abbreviations

Institutions

ACG Association of Housewives Circles BNR National Bank of Romania CCIB Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry CER Jewish Center (the Jewish central organization established by the Antonescu regime in December 1941, following the Nazi model) CME Congresul Mondial Evreiesc (World Jewish Congress) CNR National Romanianization Center (a subdepartment of SSRCI charged with the distribution of Romanianized properties) CPOS Consiliul de Patronaj al Operelor Sociale (a welfare organization headed by Maria Antonescu, the wife of Ion Antonescu) DGP General Police Department FCER Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania (the pre- December 1941 Jewish community organization) FGF Generation of the Front (an organization of war veterans, invalids, and widows) GEG German Ethnic Group LJB Bucharest Gendarmes Legion MAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs MEN Ministry of National Economy MF Ministry of Finance MJ Ministry of Justice MMSOS Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Work NPF National Pension Fund OCR Central Romanianization Office (a subdepartment MMSOS, charged with the Romanianization of jobs) PCM Prime Minister Chancellery PCR Romanian Communist Party PNL National Liberal Party (one of the main opposition democratic parties)

xiii xiv List of Abbreviations

PNT National Peasants Party (one of the main opposition democratic parties) SONFR Society of National Orthodox Women of Romania SSI Special Intelligence Service (the main intelligence office in World-War-II Romania) SSRCI Under-Secretariat of Romanianization, Colonization, and Inventory