romanian holocaust
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Romanian police and civilians remove corpses from the Iasi death train.
Romanian police and civilians remove corpses from the Iasi death train.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jun 30, 1941 - Jul 6, 1941Locale: Mircesti, [Iasi] Romania
Romanian police walk past the bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi-Calarasi death train in Targu-Frumos.
Romanian police walk past the bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi-Calarasi death train in
Targu-Frumos.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jul 1, 1941Locale: Tirgu-Frumos, [Moldova; Iasi] Romania; Targu-Frumos
Romanian military physicians examine Jews during the stop of the Iasi-Calarasi death train in Sabaoani.
[Romanian military physicians examine Jews during the stop of the Iasi-Calarasi death train in
Sabaoani.]
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jul 3, 1941Locale: Sabaoani, [Moldova] Romania
Romanian military physicians examining Jews during the stop of the Iasi-Calarasi death train in Sabaoani.
[Romanian military physicians examining Jews during the stop of the Iasi-Calarasi death train in
Sabaoani.]
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jul 3, 1941Locale: Sabaoani, [Moldova] Romania
Romanian police supervise the removal of bodies from the Iasi-Calarasi death train during its stop in Targu-Frumos.
Romanian police supervise the removal of bodies from the Iasi-Calarasi death train during its
stop in Targu-Frumos.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jul 1, 1941Locale: Tirgu-Frumos, [Moldova; Iasi] Romania; Targu-Frumos
Romanian soldiers arrest a group of Jews on I.C. Bratianu Street during the Iasi pogrom.
Romanian soldiers arrest a group of Jews on I.C. Bratianu Street during the Iasi pogrom.
In late June and early July 1941, a pogrom broke out in Iasi that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Jews. Although it is not known exactly who ordered the Iasi pogrom, directives
given by Ion Antonescu on 19 June 1941 indicate that he had been informed of the plans for the
Iasi pogrom, and possibly even ordered it himself. However, the Romanian secret service and
their collaborators, some former members of the now outlawed Iron Guard, were the instigators
of the pogrom. On Saturday, 28 June 1941, at 9:00 p.m., a flare was shot from a German
aircraft above Iasi, signaling the beginning of the pogrom. Immediately shots were fired from the
streets, from houses, and from rooftops in almost every quarter of the town. At the same time,
German and Romanian soldiers and police went to houses and businesses throughout the city
to round up Jews, torturing and killing many of them. Those remaining were brought to several
collection sites, but primarily to police headquarters. Authorities claimed that those Jews
apprehended were Jewish-communists and were believed to have aided the Soviets, but Jews
of all ages were taken into custody. Both the shooting and the round up continued throughout
the night, until midday on June 29, when a total of 5,000-6,000 Jews had been assembled.
Then, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m., a false air-raid alarm was sounded, at which point the
assembled Jews were fired on from all directions by the Romanian soldiers guarding them. The
massacre continued for several hours, until the executioners were exhausted, and less than half
of the Jewish prisoners remained alive. The survivors were then marched to the local train
station, packed into freight cars whose air vents were sealed, and sent on the death train to
Calarasi. A further 1,902 Jews were arrested by authorities in Iasi during the latter part of the
day, and they followed the same fate as the first group. The Jews were forced onto another train
under similar conditions and sent to Podu Iloaiei, where few survived.
Date: Jun 29, 1941Locale: Iasi, [Moldova] Romania; Yassy
A Romanian civilian walks past the bodies of Jews killed on Cuza Voda Street during the Iasi pogrom.
A Romanian civilian walks past the bodies of Jews killed on Cuza Voda Street during the Iasi
pogrom.
In late June and early July 1941, a pogrom broke out in Iasi that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Jews. Although it is not known exactly who ordered the Iasi pogrom, directives
given by Ion Antonescu on 19 June 1941 indicate that he had been informed of the plans for the
Iasi pogrom, and possibly even ordered it himself. However, the Romanian secret service and
their collaborators, some former members of the now outlawed Iron Guard, were the instigators
of the pogrom. On Saturday, 28 June 1941, at 9:00 p.m., a flare was shot from a German
aircraft above Iasi, signaling the beginning of the pogrom. Immediately shots were fired from the
streets, from houses, and from rooftops in almost every quarter of the town. At the same time,
German and Romanian soldiers and police went to houses and businesses throughout the city
to round up Jews, torturing and killing many of them. Those remaining were brought to several
collection sites, but primarily to police headquarters. Authorities claimed that those Jews
apprehended were Jewish-communists and were believed to have aided the Soviets, but Jews
of all ages were taken into custody. Both the shooting and the round up continued throughout
the night, until midday on June 29, when a total of 5,000-6,000 Jews had been assembled.
Then, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m., a false air-raid alarm was sounded, at which point the
assembled Jews were fired on from all directions by the Romanian soldiers guarding them. The
massacre continued for several hours, until the executioners were exhausted, and less than half
of the Jewish prisoners remained alive. The survivors were then marched to the local train
station, packed into freight cars whose air vents were sealed, and sent on the death train to
Calarasi. A further 1,902 Jews were arrested by authorities in Iasi during the latter part of the
day, and they followed the same fate as the first group. The Jews were forced onto another train
under similar conditions and sent to Podu Iloaiei, where few survived.
Date: Jun 28, 1941 - Jun 30, 1941Locale: Iasi, [Moldova] Romania; Yassy
A man beats a Jewish woman on the street during the Iasi pogrom.
A man beats a Jewish woman on the street during the Iasi pogrom.
In late June and early July 1941, a pogrom broke out in Iasi that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Jews. Although it is not known exactly who ordered the Iasi pogrom, directives
given by Ion Antonescu on 19 June 1941 indicate that he had been informed of the plans for the
Iasi pogrom, and possibly even ordered it himself. However, the Romanian secret service and
their collaborators, some former members of the now outlawed Iron Guard, were the instigators
of the pogrom. On Saturday, 28 June 1941, at 9:00 p.m., a flare was shot from a German
aircraft above Iasi, signaling the beginning of the pogrom. Immediately shots were fired from the
streets, from houses, and from rooftops in almost every quarter of the town. At the same time,
German and Romanian soldiers and police went to houses and businesses throughout the city
to round up Jews, torturing and killing many of them. Those remaining were brought to several
collection sites, but primarily to police headquarters. Authorities claimed that those Jews
apprehended were Jewish-communists and were believed to have aided the Soviets, but Jews
of all ages were taken into custody. Both the shooting and the round up continued throughout
the night, until midday on June 29, when a total of 5,000-6,000 Jews had been assembled.
Then, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m., a false air-raid alarm was sounded, at which point the
assembled Jews were fired on from all directions by the Romanian soldiers guarding them. The
massacre continued for several hours, until the executioners were exhausted, and less than half
of the Jewish prisoners remained alive. The survivors were then marched to the local train
station, packed into freight cars whose air vents were sealed, and sent on the death train to
Calarasi. A further 1,902 Jews were arrested by authorities in Iasi during the latter part of the
day, and they followed the same fate as the first group. The Jews were forced onto another train
under similar conditions and sent to Podu Iloaiei, where few survived.
Date: Jun 28, 1941 - Jun 30, 1941Locale: Iasi, [Moldova] Romania; Yassy
Romanian civilians transport the corpses of Jews removed from the Iasi death train to a local cemetery for burial.
Romanian civilians transport the corpses of Jews removed from the Iasi death train to a local
cemetery for burial.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
[Sources: Ioanid, Radu. The Holocaust in Romania: The Destruction of Jews and Gypsies
Under the Antonescu Regime, 1940-1944. Ivan R Dee, 2000, pp.80-90; Carp, Matatias.
Holocaust in Romania: 1940-44. Primor Publishing Company, 1994, pp.159-166.]
Date: Jun 30, 1941Locale: Podu Iloaiei, [Moldova] Romania
The bodies of Romanian Jews who died on one of the Iasi death trains.
The bodies of Romanian Jews who died on one of the Iasi death trains.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jun 30, 1941 - Jul 6, 1941Locale: [Moldova] Romania
Jews assembled by Romanian police and soldiers during the Iasi pogrom sit among corpses in the courtyard of the city police headquarters.
Jews assembled by Romanian police and soldiers during the Iasi pogrom sit among corpses in
the courtyard of the city police headquarters.
In late June and early July 1941, a pogrom broke out in Iasi that resulted in the deaths of
thousands of Jews. Although it is not known exactly who ordered the Iasi pogrom, directives
given by Ion Antonescu on 19 June 1941 indicate that he had been informed of the plans for the
Iasi pogrom, and possibly even ordered it himself. However, the Romanian secret service and
their collaborators, some former members of the now outlawed Iron Guard, were the instigators
of the pogrom. On Saturday, 28 June 1941, at 9:00 p.m., a flare was shot from a German
aircraft above Iasi, signaling the beginning of the pogrom. Immediately shots were fired from the
streets, from houses, and from rooftops in almost every quarter of the town. At the same time,
German and Romanian soldiers and police went to houses and businesses throughout the city
to round up Jews, torturing and killing many of them. Those remaining were brought to several
collection sites, but primarily to police headquarters. Authorities claimed that those Jews
apprehended were Jewish-communists and were believed to have aided the Soviets, but Jews
of all ages were taken into custody. Both the shooting and the round up continued throughout
the night, until midday on June 29, when a total of 5,000-6,000 Jews had been assembled.
Then, between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m., a false air-raid alarm was sounded, at which point the
assembled Jews were fired on from all directions by the Romanian soldiers guarding them. The
massacre continued for several hours, until the executioners were exhausted, and less than half
of the Jewish prisoners remained alive. The survivors were then marched to the local train
station, packed into freight cars whose air vents were sealed, and sent on the death train to
Calarasi. A further 1,902 Jews were arrested by authorities in Iasi during the latter part of the
day, and they followed the same fate as the first group. The Jews were forced onto another train
under similar conditions and sent to Podu Iloaiei, where few survived.
Date: Jun 29, 1941 - Jun 30, 1941Locale: Iasi, [Moldova] Romania; Yassy
Advertisement in Romanian for an exhibition of anti-Semitic drawings by "ION."The text reads: "Headquarters of "The Nationalist" newspaper/Terasa Bejan/Visit the exhibition of drawings/ION/Open from July 1 to entrance/Any good
Romanian must visit this exhibition which has kosher pieces nicely described, such as: epileptic rabbis, criminal-talmudic scenes and many and diverse types of kikes./N.B. Entrance is 1 lei for dogs and kikes."August 1, 1923/Free
Advertisement in Romanian for an exhibition of anti-Semitic drawings by "ION."
The text reads: "Headquarters of "The Nationalist" newspaper/Terasa Bejan/Visit the exhibition
of drawings/ION/Open from July 1 to August 1, 1923/Free entrance/Any good Romanian must
visit this exhibition which has kosher pieces nicely described, such as: epileptic rabbis, criminal-
talmudic scenes and many and diverse types of kikes./N.B. Entrance is 1 lei for dogs and kikes."
Date: Jul 1923Locale: Iasi, [Moldova] Romania; Yassy
The bodies of Romanian Jews who died on one of two death trains that left Iasi on June 30, 1941.
The bodies of Romanian Jews who died on one of two death trains that left Iasi on June 30,
1941. The first train was bound for Calarasi and the second for Podul Iloaiei.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jun 30, 1941 - Jul 6, 1941Locale: [Moldova] Romania
Civilians load the bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi death train onto a wagon for transport to a burial site.
Civilians load the bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi death train onto a wagon for transport to
a burial site.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
[Sources: Ioanid, Radu. The Holocaust in Romania: The Destruction of Jews and Gypsies
Under the Antonescu Regime, 1940-1944. Ivan R Dee, 2000, pp.80-90; Carp, Matatias.
Holocaust in Romania: 1940-44. Primor Publishing Company, 1994, pp.159-166.]
Date: Jun 30, 1947Locale: Podu Iloaiei, [Moldova] Romania
The bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi death train during a stop on the journey, are laid out in rows beside the tracks.
The bodies of Jews removed from the Iasi death train during a stop on the journey, are laid out
in rows beside the tracks.
Two trains departed from Iasi, Romania on June 30, 1941 bearing the survivors of the pogrom
that took place in the city on June 28-29, 1941. One of the trains traveled to Calarasi, while the
other was destined for Podu Iloaiei. Both evacuation transports resulted in the deaths of
hundreds of Jews, who succumbed to heat exhaustion, suffocation, dehydration and suicide
during the journey aboard crowded, unventilated freight cars in the heat of the summer. During
the Iasi pogrom Romanian soldiers, police, and German SS rounded-up some 5,000 Jews and
herded them into the courtyard of the city's police headquarters. Nearly half of them were shot
or beaten to death in a massacre that began on June 29. The killing continued throughout the
afternoon even after a decision had been made by Police Chief Chirlovici to "evacuate from
Jassy [Iasi] those Jews who had been detained as suspects at police headquarters." In the
evening the survivors (numbering between 2,430 and 2,590 people) were marched to the local
train station, where they endured an extended counting procedure before being boarded onto
freight cars. Between 80 and 200 Jews, including many who were wounded, were crowded into
each of the railcars (numbering between 33 and 39). Their captors then nailed shut the narrow
ventilation slats in the cars. The train was decorated on the outside with slogans identifying the
cargo as "Communist Jews" or "Killers of German and Romanian soldiers." The train, under the
command of Sergeant Ion Leucea and a detachment of Romanian police, finally departed from
Iasi in the early morning hours of June 30. For the next 17 hours the death train traveled a
circuitous route to Tirgu Frumos, Pascani, Lespezi, back to Pascani, then on to Roman, and
finally, back to Tirgu Frumos, where it halted temporarily. By this time hundreds had died. Three
or four of the railcars were opened to remove the dead. The approximately 200 survivors found
in the opened cars were escorted by Police Commissar Ion Botez and his guards to a nearby
synagogue. Those who tried to quench their thirst by drinking from puddles on the road were
shot by Botez, while villagers were threatened with the death penalty if they offered aid to the
Jews. Once they reached the synagogue the captives were subjected to further beatings and
theft of their remaining personal possessions. On July 1 authority over the train was transferred
to Second Lieutenant Aurel Triandaf, who ordered that the remaining railcars be opened and the
corpses removed. Because the Jewish survivors were too weak, local Gypsies were brought in
to unload the bodies. By way of payment they were allowed to take articles of clothing and other
valuables from the dead. More than 650 bodies were piled onto trucks and carts and taken to
the local Jewish cemetery, where large trenches were dug to serve as mass graves. The largest
of the trenches had been started on June 29, one day before the train arrived. After the bodies
were deposited in the graves, they were doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire. Those
Jews who had survived the journey to Targu Frumos were at first denied any food or water by
their Romanian and German guards, but after a while some supplies were distributed. In the late
afternoon of July 1, the death train resumed its journey to Calarasi. The train made numerous
stops. On July 2 it arrived in Mircesti, where 327 corpses were unloaded and buried on the
outskirts of the town of Iugani. The following day, the transport passed through Sabaoani and
continued on to Roman. When the train was not permitted into the Roman station because of
the stench emanating from the railcars, it was sent back to Sabaoani. There, another 300
corpses were removed and the surviving passengers were examined by a team of military
doctors, who ordered that they be given water. The train then returned to Roman, where 55
more bodies were unloaded and some of the survivors were washed and deloused. Several
more stops were made before the train reached its final destination on July 6. Only 1,076 of the
captives survived the journey. In Calarasi the Jews were interned in a makeshift camp set up in
the courtyard of the 23rd Infantry Regiment. Many more died in the two months they remained
in the camp before being escorted back to Iasi.
The second death train also departed Iasi early on June 30. This transport carried 1,902 Jews
who were packed into 18 railcars, along with 80 corpses of those who had been killed earlier.
The train took eight hours to reach its final destination at Podu Iloaei, only 20 km from Iasi. As
with the first train, hundreds died along the way. Only 708 of the captives reached Podu Iloaei,
where they were confined to synagogues or assigned to private Jewish homes. The survivors
remained between one and three months before being allowed to return to Iasi.
Date: Jun 30, 1941
Romanian dictator, Marshal Ion Antonescu (left), converses with Adolf Hitler during an official visit to Germany, as Nazi officials look on.
Romanian dictator, Marshal Ion Antonescu (left), converses with Adolf Hitler during an official
visit to Germany, as Nazi officials look on.
Pictured in the center is Hitler's interpreter, Paul Schmidt. Second from the right is Julius
Schaub and at the far right, Joachim von Ribbentrop.
Locale: Unknown Locale
Order in Romanian issued by the prefecture of Botosani on July 1, 1941, regarding the taking of hostages, primarily Jews.
Order in Romanian issued by the prefecture of Botosani on July 1, 1941, regarding the taking of
hostages, primarily Jews.
The order alleges the existence of Romanian Jewish spies in the service of the Soviet Union,
who are presumed to have shot at Romanian and German troops. Therefore, "based on order
no.4599 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of June 30, 1941, the police of the district and its
legion of gendarmes will be taking hostages in Botosani and other localities in this district. The
hostages will be locked up at police headquarters in Botosani and Harlau. The hostages will be,
in the majority, rabbis and ritual slaughterers, artisans and all the former sympathizers of
communism who are known as such. Those caught on the spot committing acts of sabotage,
terrorism or aggression will be executed immediately./Prefect of the district of Botosani/Lt.
Colonel/Victor Maescu."
Date: Jul 1, 1941Locale: Botosani, [Moldova; Iasi] Romania; Botoshani
Announcement in Romanian issued by the police of the city of Bacau regarding the compulsory wearing of the Jewish badge.
Announcement in Romanian issued by the police of the city of Bacau regarding the compulsory
wearing of the Jewish badge.
The text reads: "In 48 hours all Jewish men and women must wear on the left side of their chest
the Jewish star (two superimposed triangles) made of yellow cloth, each side to be 6 cm. long.
Only those who don the military uniform in the service of the army are exempt./Those who are
not in compliance after this date will be arrested and turned over to the police and the military
command./July 4, 1941/Police chief/Sub-inspector I. Cuptor."
Date: Jul 4, 1941Locale: Bacau, [Moldova; Iasi] Romania
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