The Bucharest pogrom Legionnaires' rebellion and Bucharest pogrom

the stripped bodies of jewish romanian victims, discarded in snow @ jilava, on banks of sabar river.



the stripped bodies of jewish romanian victims, discarded in snow @ jilava forest.

on 23 january, few hours before rebellion quelled, group of legionnaires selected 15 jews @ random. took them in trucks local slaughterhouse, shot. 5 of jews, including five-year-old girl, hung on slaughterhouse s hooks, still alive. tortured, bellies cut , entrails hung around necks in parody of shehita, kosher slaughter of cattle. bodies labeled kosher . slaughterhouse closed week purge , clean house of results. when antonescu appointed military prosecutor investigate events @ slaughterhouse, reported that

recognized 3 of acquaintances among professionally tortured bodies (lawyer millo beiler , rauch brothers). added, “the bodies of dead hanged on hooks used slaughterers.” american minister romania, franklin mott gunther, toured meat-packing plant jews slaughtered placards reading kosher meat on them. reported washington: sixty jewish corpses discovered on hooks used carcasses. skinned . . . , quantity of blood evidence had been skinned alive . gunther wrote shocked 1 of jewish victims hanging on meat hooks five-year-old girl, saying not imagine such cruelty possible until saw evidence of firsthand.

of slaughterhouse episode, romanian author virgil gheorghiu later wrote:

in big hall of slaughterhouse, cattle hanged in order cut, human naked corpses . . . on of corpses inscription kosher . there jewish corpses. … soul stained. ashamed of myself. ashamed being romanian, criminals of iron guard .

during pogrom 125 bucharest jews murdered: 120 bodies counted, , 5 never found. other jews, not bucharest community, happened in bucharest @ time may have been killed. legionnaires ignited jewish synagogues , danced around flames, roaring joy. accomplish mission used fuel tanker, sprayed walls of kahal grande (the great sephardic synagogue) , lit it. burnt. in various synagogues legionnaires robbed worshipers, abused them, took valuables , tore holy scriptures , ancient documents. destroyed everything, lavatories.

during riots 1,274 businesses, shops, workshops , homes badly damaged or destroyed. after suppression of rebellion, army took legionnaires loot in 200 trucks (not including money , jewelry). synagogues partly saved. large choral temple (heichal hakorali) synagogue saved burning completely, because legionnaires didn t bring enough fuel. in large synagogue christian, lucreţia canjia. begged rioters not burn synagogue, reminding them of christian teachings. synagogue saved.