Is Michigan Bishop a War Criminal? Mystery Surrounds Case

CHARLOTTE DUBIN
"nor participated in any war act) • I published in the Iron Guard daily, , come local leaders. Some have
vities while Romania was at war . Bone Vestire: "Even if AdOlf been named priests throughout the
Thirty years later, mystery still
I was a political prisoner in Ger - !Hitler had done nothing else than U.S.A., thereby having a greater
shrouds the whereabouts of many
many, interned in the concentra - initiate his life struggle of Na- opportunity to cause friction and
arch criminals of World War II.
Lion camps in Buchenwald and Donal Socialism, which leads ito spread their hatred against the
One of those mysteries, which
Dachau and carried 44359 as my • , the unmasking of and the fight Jew's -
.
periodically emerges and fades,
!against Judaism, he still would
prisoner identification number."
is that of Vlore, Trifa.
"We whose brothers and sisters.
I He insists that photographs of a have risen to the great peaks iof mothers and fathers, were killed
Trifa was a leader of the notori-
young Iron Guardist which ap- history. as he blazed a new so brutally and cowardly and
ous Romanian Iron Guard who
peared in the bulletin are not of path.") buried in individual or common
directed a bloody pogrom in Buch-
him—with the exception of one
Fr. Anania argues that the R o- graves, we will never forget. We.
arest on Jan 21. 1941, in which
which he claims was doctored to manian people in America hate whose loved ones were torn from
12.000 Christians and Jews met
make
it
look
as
though
he
were
their death in an indescribably
been deceived. that Bishop Val- our arms for absolutely no crime
riding a motorcycle and holding a erian was ordained first by la other than the fact that we were
bestial manner.
pistol.
Where is Trifa' There is con
Ukrainian archbishop, then by the Jews, we will never forget.
Are these the same man" The
Bishop Valerian denied having Russian metropolia, but never by
siderable evidence—although h e
"We shall never rest," he said,
small
photograph
11,---7
ever killed anyone, nor participat- a Romanian.
denies it--that Valerian D Trifa
We proved he "until the murderers of these inno-
is of Bishop Va-
ing in the Bucharest street fights joined the Russians," said
bishop of the Romanian Orthodo •
Ft- . cent Jews shall be made to pay for
lerian Trifa, bish-
of Jan. 21-23, 1941. "in which 236 Anania, "and his people call Its
Episcopate of America, with head
their infamous crimes."
persons (Jews and Christians) liars.•• Fr. Anania added that
quarters in Grass LaKe. Mich., i s op of the Roman-
lost their lives."
the former Iron Guardist Viore !Jan Orthodox
Bishop Valerian is not recogniztld

i

Episcopate
Trifa
Bishop Valerian, as he is known of America, with
to thousands of followers through • headquarters at
out the country, frequently con I Grass Lake, Mich.
The large photo
ducts services at St. George Ro
is of young Viorel
manian Orthodox Cathedral on W
Nine Mile and Southfield Rds in Trifa, taken while
' addressing the National Union of
Southfield
Romanian Students in 1941.
The Jewish News, along with

Ile stated that he was not in
Romania at the time he reportedly
was tried as a war criminal, and
that he was not even a priest when
he was said to have been excom-
municated from his church in Ro-
mania, Of course, no one has dis-
puted either of those two points.
The bishop added that he didn't
seize the Grass l-ake episco-
pate headquarters, but rather took
over the property "as a result of
the decision of our own church
congress and after the federal
court in Cleveland made the de-
cision as to who is the rightful
owner of the property."
In fact, Bishop Valerian did
'ake control of the church after
long fight. His majority faction
broke away from the Communist-
dominated patriarchate at Buchar-
est, refusing to recognize a bishop
who had been consecrated in pest-
war Romania.

by the Standing Conference of Or-
Bishops in the Americas.
"The Moscow Patriarchate is the
only one that recognizes him."

thodox

Still, Fr. Anania's opposition Is
the Hote-
1 caust is past history.

l a canonical one To him

,

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
12—Friday, May 19, 1972

200

LOW MILEAGE TRADES
EACH MONTH

Men like Dr. Charles Kremer,
Avis ROAD talon m two hundred trade.,
however. live with that past. Di'.
eve-ro mon. -150 of ff.* boa ', ode. ore
other individuals and agencies,
Kremer,
president of the R0-
The Very Rev. Vasile Pascau.
has been working on the case
lotAufs to mow* Mew cats our erac, mon.
manian Jewish Federation of
Thela .2•1 ore
secretary of the Romanion Ortho-
l., tooftonolly cfoon cot,
for many years, and recently
erica, Inc., said in a recent
All
models
dox Canonical Bishop of America,
summoned the aid of the re-
ovorlobte
speech:
described Bishop Valerian as "an
nowned Nazi hunter Simon Wies•
FC)1110'S. GM'S, CIARTS1,E111 ETC
"We
cannot
afford
to
stand
by
undesirable and dangerous ele-
enthal, who heads the Vienna
and allow these Romanian Nazi
ment among our people here in
Documentation Center. Weisen-
immigrants, the so-called Iron)
ves11 Monello all Ttnonetng
America.
thal has pledged to do all he
Guardists, to spread their old
tot love book ,ton
Ile explained that on July 6,
can to acquire necessary evi-
and
well
known
methods
of
anti=
29150
TELEGRAPH
1952, Valerian Trifa came to the
denre.
tot 12 MIST ■ oadi
Semitic poison and cause dis.i
Although many survivors—most - Grass Lake headquarters with his
Open than end Mon Moos ol 9 p
sension
among
Christians
and
Open Sot ttl 6p n.
notably the Rumanian Jewish cohorts. "breaking the padlock of
Jews throughout the U.S.A.
Federation of A merica, Inc.—are the gate, invading our property,
354-3100
"They
send
anonymous
letteris
convinced of Bishop Valerian's screaming, threatening our lives,
accusing Jew's and non-Jews of
i
beating
an
old
priest,
trying
to
guilt, what is required is evidence
being Communists. A very great
that will stand up in a court of turn over our cars, cutting the
number of Iron Guardists have
law. That has not been easy to telephone wires, creating panic
Al the annual church convention
and terror among our women,
obtain
in Chicago in 1951, the faction
The strongest point in his favor children and old people, exactly I elected "Dr." Viorel D. Trifa,
is the fact that Bisliwri Valerian as Hitler d d once in Germany
then editor of the Romanian Or-
successfully immigrated to the against the Jews. After this kind thodox periodical Solia, as acting
Un ted States from Italy under the of ordeal, they took over our pro- bishop. (Bishop Valerian remains
perty' by force, chasing us out."
Displaced Persons Act in 1950
as chairman of the publishing
All efforts to have the case re-
Part of the problem faced by
hoard and editorial staff of Sofia.
opened by the U S Department
those seeking to reopen the Trifa
which is published at 11341 Wood-
of Justice have been to no avail.
case is summed up in the position ward, in Detroit.)
Adding to his credibility is the of the general secretary of the Na-
A year later, the Federal Dis-
fact that in May 1955 he was in-
tional Courcil of the Churches of
trict Court in Cleveland en-
vited to else the opening prayer
Christ in the U.S.A , of which
joined the deposed bishop from
in the U.S Senate The late Drew Iti-hop Valerian's church is a
representing himself as head of
Pearson, in his syndicated column
m ember
the church. Higher appeals
assailed both the Senate invitation
It II. Edwin Espy, in response
courts affirmed the injunction,
and the admission of Bishop Valer- to a query by The Jewish, News.
and Bishop Valerian has main-
ian (at that time, not a prelate) to said. "The National Council of
tained title ever since
Torinos, LTD's, Pintos, Mavericks, Pinto Wagons,
the United States as a displaced Churches does not have either the
According to the Yearbook of f
person.
Pearson
reminded his authority from its member com- Churches. he heads offices in
▪
T-Birds, Galaxies, Mustangs, Trucks, etc.
readers that Viorel Trifa had been munions nor the competence and , Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago
sentenced in absentia to life im• resources of research to permit and Canada, as well as Detroit. , U
prisonment by the anti-Hitler re- us to enter into any internal con-
The church establishment also in-
gime of Antonescu This had fol- flicts that may obtain within NCC cludes local ladies auxiliaries,
U
lowed the Iron Guard's anti•Sem- member churches . .
brotherhoods and youth groups.
itic riots before the German lega-
"Secondly." he wrote. "this
Despite the charges against
tion in Bucharest in January matter has been thoroughly re- him—including one by New York
1941 Trifa escaped to Germany.
viewed in the courts and we have Congressman Seymour Halpern
The Romanian governMent has no alternative but to abide by the which was read into the Conges-
sought to extradite Bishop Valer- outcome of long and careful sional Record—Bishop Valerian t
ian, bid there is no U S , Romanian judicial process_ I assure you that continues to enjoy allegiance from
r
extradition treaty. On this point--' this position on our part reflects his followers. The Association of
and against anyone who roiposes no judgment one way or another Romanian Orthodox Women of
Michigan Residents Only — No Dealers
him—the bishop counters that the on the merits of this case "
America, in a vote of confidence
regime in Romania simply wants
Acco -ding to the 1972 year-
for the bishop, described him as
to get back at him because he is, hook of the Council of Churches.
the victim of - certain malicious
an ardent anti-Communist
Bishop Valerian's Romanian Or-
attacks." They said the Com-
One such foe is the Archirnand-
thodox body has 50,000 mem-
munists have used Dr. Moshe
rite B. V Anania. of the Ro-
bers and 45 churches across the
Rosen, chief rabbi of Romania, to U
manian Orthodox Missionary Ep-
country. Fr. Anania, one of his
propagate the accusations, which
iscopate in America. Although
most vocal foes, insists that such
also have been "distributed among
Bishop Valerian has labeled him
a figure is inflated way out of
Romanian Americans by agents
a Communist, Fr. Anania says
proportion to the t - uth-15,000 is
of the Communist regime,"
that he himself was in a Com-
closer to fact.
The Romanian Orthodox Episco-
munist prison camp for six years.
Nevertheless, if Bishop Valerian pate also charged that the Ro-
U
Viorel Trifa had been excom-
s a "deceiver of the Romanian manian gOvernment had involved
municated from his church in Ro- people"—as Fr Anania refers to "bona fide Jewish organizations"1
mania Within a year of the ar- him—a sizeable number of Ro- to "spread false information that
rival .n this country of Valerian
manian Orthodox people in Am- the Romanian diocese in America!
Trifa, he had been "ordained" as ; e rica support him. Fr. Anania in- is a center of anti-Semitism and ;
a member of the clergy of the Ro- s ists that this is so because of the that Bishop Trifa is a Hitler I
uff
"AVIS WILL HANDLE ALL FINANCING"
manian Orthodox Church. Shortly bishop's uncompromising stand Nazist, guilty of war crimes and
thereafter—it was charged by the a gainst Communism.
Open Thursday & Monday nites 'til 9 p.m.
anti-Semitic pogroms. ;
Patriarch Theodosie of Antioch—
Bishop Valerian has denied the
"Nothing could be more false :
Open Sat 'til 6 p.m.
the bishop and his followers for- c harges levelled against him, par- than to blast h.m as a war crim..
cibly seized the episcopate head- ■ t icularly those by David Flom-
Mal." the statement said, "since
quarters in Grass Lake. a com•
- dz, editor of the United Israel
Romania entered the war only in
munity near Jackson
Bulletin, who has waged an un- June 1941," three months after the II
Th e
Patriarch
Theodosie r elenting fight for a reopening of bishop was taken to Germany as
claimed that Valerian was elect-
t he Trifa case
a political prisoner.
ed a bishop in an illegal and re-
In a letter to Horowitz, printed
Among the statements credited to SI
bellious congress, presided over i n the bulletin, the bishop insisted Viorel Trifa is the following from a Or
by an unfrocked priest.
hat he has never been a soldier speech made on Jan 21.
.
an d
all***1111.***11.1**IMIIN*11.•

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