08/07/2023
Prior to the Holocaust, the city of Iași, Romania, was home to a large, vibrant Jewish community. But in just a span of a few days in summer 1941, Iași would forever be changed. On the orders of Romanian dictator Ion Antonescu, authorities in the city instigated violence against the Jewish population. A city-wide pogrom resulted in the murder of thousands of the city's Jews. The perpetrators were the Romanian soldiers, police, and civilians, with assistance from their German allies stationed in the city.
Haim Solomon, who had moved with his family to Iași in 1939, remembered how some of the Jewish population was assembled at police headquarters. "Aligned on both sides were Romanians, Germans ... and as the Jews passed by, they split their heads or shot them in their temple," he described. Hundreds more would be killed on the street or in their homes. The Romanian and German perpetrators also sent thousands of Jews to the towns of Călărași and Podu Iloaiei by packing them into crowded freight cars where they remained for days. The death toll was so high that these transports are often referred to as the Iași death trains.
As the attacks continued, Haim and his family were able to find hiding places. His brothers hid in a shed, stacking firewood around themselves to conceal their hiding spot. Haim and his parents remained hidden in their house, but escaped through a back exit when a mob burst through their door.
When Haim and his family emerged from hiding, they found an eerie scene. "Streets were still empty, and really scary. Cats, dogs were licking blood from puddles," he remembered.
Haim survived the Holocaust and eventually immigrated to the United States.
Photo: USHMM, courtesy of Haim Solomon