Jewish Badge. Romania, Early 1940s – A Rare Example of a Badge from Within Romania Itself – A Square Cloth Patch with a Black Star of David on a White Background. In Romania, there were several types of Jewish badges, including yellow Stars of David on a black background (either circular or hexagonal), and black Stars of David on white cloth, like the example before us.
The enforcement of the Jewish badge in Romania varied by location. The first orders regarding the wearing of the yellow star in Romania were issued by local authorities. On July 4, 1941, the chief of police in Bacău posted orders on the walls of the city. These instructions soon spread to other cities: Galați, Botoșani, Huși, Fălticeni, Iași, and others. In response to questions from military commanders, Mihai Antonescu, deputy to Ion Antonescu, ordered the Minister of the Interior to ensure that Jews across Romania wore the badge. The Minister issued a circular enforcing the order starting on August 7, a month before Nazi Germany issued a similar directive. In September 1941, the first instructions for Jewish badges were given in the annexed territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina, requiring all Jews aged twelve and older to attach a special badge to their clothing.
In the Transnistria region, Jews were required to wear unique badges starting in July 1942. In the “Regat” (the “Kingdom” – Romania within its pre-World War I borders), discussions about requiring unique badges began in the fall of 1941, but nothing was done until 1943.
This badge belonged to Holocaust survivor Franz Ephraim Wiesel (see Yad Vashem record no. 12828191). A similar example to the badge before us can be found in the Yad Vashem Museum’s artifact collection.
Dimensions: 11×10.5 cm. Light stains. Condition: Good.
