Traian Popovici
Encyclopedia
Traian Popovici was a Romania
n lawyer and mayor of Cernăuţi during World War II
, known for saving 20,000 Jews of Bukovina
from deportation.
Popovici was born in Ruşii Mănăstioarei village of Suceava county. In 1908, while a high school student, he crossed the Austrian
-Romanian border illegally, in order to see Nicolae Iorga
who was visiting the town of Burdujeni
. When World War I
started, he went to Romania and enlisted in the Romanian Army, fighting until the end of the war.
Military dictator Ion Antonescu
requested him to become mayor of Cernăuţi, but Popovici initially refused, unwilling to serve a fascist
government. He changed his mind, however, based on advice from his friends. A few days after acceptance, he was ordered to create a ghetto
for the Jews of Cernăuţi, but Popovici refused to accept that part of the city's population could be confined behind barbed wire
fences. After long debates, the governor of the region accepted his point of view. Due to Popovici's defense of Jews, his political adversaries nicknamed him "jidovitul" ("the turned-Jewish").
In 1941, the new governor announced his decision that all the Jews of Cernăuţi must be deported
to Transnistria
. After talks with the governor, the latter agreed that Popovici would be allowed to nominate 200 Jews which were to be exempted. Unsatisfied with the modest concession, Traian Popovici tried reaching Antonescu himself, this time arguing that Jews were of capital importance to Cernăuţi's economy and requested a postponement until replacements could be found. As a result, he was allowed to expand the list, which covered 20,000 Jews in its final version.
He is honored by Israel
's Yad Vashem
memorial as one of the Righteous Among the Nations
, an honour given to non-Jews who behaved with heroism in trying to save Jews from the genocide
of the Holocaust.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n lawyer and mayor of Cernăuţi during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, known for saving 20,000 Jews of Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
from deportation.
Popovici was born in Ruşii Mănăstioarei village of Suceava county. In 1908, while a high school student, he crossed the Austrian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
-Romanian border illegally, in order to see Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
who was visiting the town of Burdujeni
Suceava
Suceava is the Suceava County seat in Bukovina, Moldavia region, in north-eastern Romania. The city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1388 to 1565.-History:...
. When World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
started, he went to Romania and enlisted in the Romanian Army, fighting until the end of the war.
Military dictator Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
requested him to become mayor of Cernăuţi, but Popovici initially refused, unwilling to serve a fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
government. He changed his mind, however, based on advice from his friends. A few days after acceptance, he was ordered to create a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
for the Jews of Cernăuţi, but Popovici refused to accept that part of the city's population could be confined behind barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
fences. After long debates, the governor of the region accepted his point of view. Due to Popovici's defense of Jews, his political adversaries nicknamed him "jidovitul" ("the turned-Jewish").
In 1941, the new governor announced his decision that all the Jews of Cernăuţi must be deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
to Transnistria
Transnistria (World War II)
Transnistria Governorate was a Romanian administered territory, conquered by the Axis Powers from the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, and occupied from 19 August 1941 to 29 January 1944...
. After talks with the governor, the latter agreed that Popovici would be allowed to nominate 200 Jews which were to be exempted. Unsatisfied with the modest concession, Traian Popovici tried reaching Antonescu himself, this time arguing that Jews were of capital importance to Cernăuţi's economy and requested a postponement until replacements could be found. As a result, he was allowed to expand the list, which covered 20,000 Jews in its final version.
He is honored by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
memorial as one of the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
, an honour given to non-Jews who behaved with heroism in trying to save Jews from the genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of the Holocaust.
External links
- Popovici's testimony on the deportation: