Persecution
After the legionaries came to power in September 1940 and the declaration of the legionary national state, repressive measures against Jews appeared and intensified in Craiova. A number of practices have been imposed, applied in other urban centers, such as boycotting Jewish shops and spreading anti-Semitic inscriptions and messages. Posters with the “Jewish store” notice appeared on the facades of Jewish-owned shops.
Since the beginning of January 1941, groups of legionnaires have carried out raids and searches of Jewish homes. At the same time, on January 8th, several traders of Jewish origin were arrested on charges of sabotage. A few days after the appearance of such accusations, businessmen of Jewish origin were summoned to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Craiova. Here, on January 10th, 1941, after being subjected to physical and mental pressure in the presence of the CCI vice president, the city police chief and a group of armed legionnaires, the owners of several local businesses were forced to cede their right of ownership to totally unknown people and at ridiculous prices, far below the real value. About a hundred Jewish-owned companies then came into the possession of owners of Romanian origin. On January 11th, 1941, Jewish-owned radios were picked up by police authorities.
The pressure was also exerted against Jewish students. Thus, in 1940, Jewish students were expelled from educational institutions. As in other cities, the Jews of Craiova were forced to wear the “yellow star” for several months, and then a yellow armband on their arm. If they did not wear them, those caught during unexpected inspections by the authorities were sent to the Court Martial, risking deportation to Transnistria. Their free movement was restricted. They could only go to the market at a certain time, and they were forbidden to enter cinemas and theatres. In fact, at the entrance to these cultural buildings, messages were posted indicating that the entry of dogs and Jews was prohibited.
With Romania'’ entry into World War II, Craiova was one of the places where Jews from other regions were displaced. At the end of June 1941, about 500 Jews from Dorohoi, women, and children, arrived here. Among the Jews from Dorohoi who were sent to Craiova, there were also men aged between 18 and 60, as well as the leaders of this community. One of the places where they were imprisoned was a camp set up in a high school in Craiova, that was guarded by gendarmes. Some of them were also sent to Târgu Jiu. The Jews from Siret were also evacuated to Craiova. Among the Bukovinian Jews who were forced to live in the capital of Oltenia, some were sent back to their places of origin and later deported to Transnistria.
At the same time, the Jews from Craiova were concentrated on forced labour. Some of them were sent to forced labour in Balta (May 13th, 1942), Bacău (August - September 1943), or in Doaga, near Focșani. Here, they worked on removing the ballast or making concrete beams. In this camp, some of the Jews were accommodated in huts dug in the ground, in which there were several bunk beds. In the city, several families of evicted Jews from Ploiești also found refuge. After the war, refugees from Transnistria or Bukovina settled temporarily in Craiova, the number of Jews in 1947 being 2,500. During the communist period, many emigrated, so that in 2011 there were only 25 Jews living in the city.
Sources
Matatias Carp, The Black Book. The Sufferings of the Jews from Romania 1940-1944. The Legionary Movement and the Rebellion, vol. I, București, The Socec Publishing House, 1946, pp. 141-143.
Matatias Carp, The Black Book. The Sufferings of the Jews from Romania 1940-1944. Transnistria, vol. III, Bucharest, "DACIA TRAIANA" NATIONAL PUBLISHING AND GRAPHIC ARTS SOCIETY , 1947, p. 91.
Cristina Bejan, Craiova, in Geoffrey P. Megargee (general editor), Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933-1945, Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2018, p. 656.