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