Jacob Reinitz, one of the most disreputable characters in Roumanian Jewry, has been sentenced to hang for the murder of six Jews.
Reinitz, who was generally known as a successful sacharine smuggler had a method of his own for obtaining money. His general plan was to tell the Jews of the great moneys to be made in smuggling and urge them to join him in his enterprise.
When one of these Jews was persuaded, Reinitz would persuade him to take a considerable sum of money along to buy the goods which was to be smuggled in. The two would proceed to the border and Heinitz then would look for his chance first to rob his victim and then to push him down the mountain side. He would then spread a report that the man was caught smuggling and was shot by the frontier guards.
During the war, Reinitz acted as a military spy, making it his specialty to inform the government of Jewish deserters.
The execution of Reinitz will make the second hanging of a Jew to take place in the country. Fourteen years ago, a Jewish driver was hung for chopping to death a fellow Jew.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
