Denunciation letter in the name of “All Residents of Chișinău” addressed to a Romanian colonel, informing on two wealthy Jews who allegedly evaded conscription into the Romanian army due to their great wealth. The letter demands that they be sent to concentration camps and that those who protected them be punished. Typed on a typewriter. Romanian. At the top left of the document, a handwritten note states that the letter is “personal” (the word “personal” appears twice). The letter is signed by “Cuza” and dated March 27, 1940.
The text reads:
“May you have a long life, Mr. Colonel,
Allow us to inform you that all the residents of Chișinău are wondering how it is that the wealthy and property-owning man, named David-Dovid Frieber from Chișinău, residing at 57 Brătianu Street, who contributed a ridiculous amount to the army’s armament needs, has managed to evade conscription so far and has been exempted from military service, while others from the same draft year have long been enlisted. Could it be that his immense wealth is the reason?
We know, Mr. Colonel, of your unquestionable honor and your love for the truth, and thus we report this case to you, requesting that you investigate how this wealthy individual, who has amassed his fortune at the expense of the state, is not enlisting alongside all other citizens to fulfill his duty to the state, the crown, and the dynasty.
Another wealthy Jew is in the same situation, namely, Iohanan Shapiro from the 1919 draft class, residing in Chișinău at the corner of Brătianu Street and Regina Maria Street, where he owns a two-story house. While his peers were long ago conscripted, he has managed to avoid military service. It appears that, once again, financial protection has played a role in his exemption. We ask you, Mr. Colonel, to take action against both of them and send them to a place where they can work, as well as to punish those who have protected them thus far.
May you live many years.”
During World War II, Chișinău was under Romanian control, as Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany. During this period, Romania implemented harsh anti-Semitic policies. Informants who acted against Jews in Chișinău and other locations during times of anti-Semitic oppression were part of a broader phenomenon of denunciation, betrayal, and collaboration with authorities hostile to the Jewish community. Many Jews in Chișinău were conscripted into the Romanian army or sent to labor camps due to the dehumanization and discrimination prevalent at the time. Many informants acted in exchange for financial rewards, Jewish property, or favors from the authorities. In 1941, the Nazis occupied the city and began the mass murder of its Jewish population. The killings were carried out through mass execution pits, a method also used in many other places in Eastern Europe. The estimated number of Jews murdered during the Nazi occupation stands at approximately 10,000. The surviving Jews were concentrated in ghettos, primarily in the Chișinău Ghetto, and were later deported to Transnistria, where many perished due to starvation, disease, and inhumane conditions.
[1] A typewritten page, printed on both sides. Very good condition.
