Were There Any Anti-jewish Atrocities Committed in Roumania?

In spite of the denials issued by the Roumanian Minister to the United States, and the assurances given by the Roumanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Duka, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency is in a position to publish excerpts from the Roumanian Press, verifying its previous reports. The following is a verbatim translation of news appearing in the Roumanian press, about the anti-Jewish excesses.

FROM: ADEVARUL, #12365. MAY 21, 1924, 3RD PAGE, COLUMN 3

What Happens in Ardeal. We read in “Patria” from Cluj: On the occasion of the festivities in Blaj, Transylvania, which a number of college and university students attended, several incidents happened between the youths and Jewish travelers.

In the trains bound for Blaj, on which the students traveled, especially in the local night-train, they began to beat the Jewish travelers, compelling them to leave the trains at all stations.

One train was stopped in a field, and a considerable number of travelers were compelled to descend, between two distant stations. Arriving in Blaj, the students beat many Jews and smashed the windows of the synagogue. Upon the intervention of the authorities severe measures were taken to stop the riots.

Black in Cluj, by the morning train the students again started their beatings. In groups they entered the cars and began beating all the travelers who seemed to be Jewish. At the stations between Blaj and Cluj, the Jewish travelers were forced to leave the trains. At all stations, at which the train stopped longer, the travelers, who were waiting for other trains were also beaten.

For instance, in Tejus, several fights took place, after which several of the Jewish travelers, who were badly wounded, had to be transported to the hospital.

After the train started towards Cluj, between Tejus and Apahida, the beatings continued, and in Apahida, where the train stopped longer, the travelers of other trains and those who were waiting

on the platform and in the waiting room were beaten. Several of the wounded were transported to the hospital, some of them by motor-car as they had suffered very serious lessions.

It is affirmed that the number of wounded is about forty. The Police Headquarters of Cluj were informed, but they couldn’t do anything as the incidents did not happen in Cluj.

The Central Jewish Office has sent two telegrams to Bucharest, relating what happened and asking for help.

The CURRIERUL ISRAELIT, of Bucharest, reprinted the following excerpts from Roumanian papers:

KELETI UJZAG, a Hungarian language paper in Transylvania, gives the following information about the Roumanian devastations:

“More than terrible were the happenings which took place in the morning on the train, the passengers of which were taken unawares. A regular riot against the Jews took place, the events being as serious as a pogrom. The beginning was in Blaj and continued uninterruptedly to Apahida in such a manner that all the Jews were beaten to the point of blood and thrown out of the train, so that the train came into Cluj without a single Jew aboad. At the various stations the most savage scenes occurred. Gangsters rushed into the train at each station, looked over the cars and wherever they found Jews they struck them and beat them until blood flowed and they forced them to leave the train at the next station.

“At the more important stations, where the train usually stops a little longer, the scenes were beyond description. Those who were thrown out of the train were severely beaten up, as were those who were waiting for the train. The number of Jews who were thus beaten up at the various stations is well over a hundred. Some of them have been mortally wounded.

“At Tejush, the proportion of those who were beaten up was terrible. There, for more than an hour, as long as the train remained on the station, Jewish passengers were continually beaten in a most savage manner. The police of Tejush asked for aid from the police of Alba Julia. The police of Alba Julia came late. The police of Tejush lined up at the entrance to the station to prevent the gangsters from coming into the town. The Jews could not save themselves from the hands of the gangsters. At Tejush, many of the victims were taken to the hospital; another part of them was sent to the hospital in Alba Julia. Between Tejush and Apahida, at every station, Jews were maltreated in every possible form. At several stations, some Christian travelers were even beaten up because they tried to intervene and defend some of their Jewish fellow-travelers. Many of the victims were taken to various hospitals along the road in automobiles.”

The ADEVARUL, reported on May 29th, as follows:

“The Jewish population does not dare to go out on the street and to frequent the public places. This is because the anti-Semitic students are planning attacks during the night, which they carry out without any interference on the part of the police. These agitators enjoy complete freedom of action. They come in a compact group to the cafes, restaurants and public gardens, occupy a number of tables, order wine, order the musicians to play anti-Semitic songs in which they join, throw bitter invectives at the Jews; and if they, perchance, discover a Jew in that particular place they fall upon him, beat him up, and in some cases, they even throw him into the lake in the park.”

The DIMINEAZA of Bucharest reports that the Jews of Timiscara have presented a memorandum to Dr. Cosma, ex-Minister and present Member of Parliament, in which they have set forth the recent tragic events which they have gone through. Dr. Cosma is reported to have stated that he condemns without reserve and most emphatically the acts of terrorism which have recently taken place there, and that he will send the memorandum to the Minister in Bucharest, asking for energetic intervention.