THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
32—Friday, March 8, 1974

Arts Academy
Honors Zeitlin

PHILADELPHIA — D r .
Solo m o n Zeitlin, distin-
guished professor of post-
biblical literature and insti-
tutions at Dropsie University,
will be inducted a Fellow in
the Jewish Academy of Arts
and Sciences in recognition
of his contributions and ac-
complishments in the field
of arts and letters.
World renowned as a Jud-
aica scholar, author and edu-
cator, Dr. Zeitlin was hon-
ored at the annual convoca-
tion of the academy, Wednes-
day.
The Jewish Academy of
Arts and Science, which has
been quartered at Dropsie in
recent years, was originally
established in 1927 by the
late Prof. Morris Raphael
Cohen, noted philosopher at
City College of New York.
The keynote address,
"Shalom (Peace) in Law and
Lore," will be delivered by
Dr. Leo Jung, president of
the Academy. An alumnus
of Dropsie, Dr. Jung recently
retired as professor of ethics
at Yeshiva University in New
York. He is senior rabbi at
the Jewish Center in New
York.

It's true — every effort is
not crowned with success,
and many do not deserve to
be.

Classifieds Get Quick Results

Romanian Christian Details Trifa Role in Pogrom

Efforts continue to bring to
justice Bishop Valerian Tri-
fa, a Romanian Orthodox
prelate who is accused of
war crimes as an Iron Guard
youth leader in 1941.
But Trifa, whose headquar-
ters is outside Jackson,
Mich., has countered the
charges with accusations of
his own, namely that Jewish
organizations attacking him
are simply a mouthpiece for
the Communist government
of Romania.
Thus, it is of special in-
terest that a Romanian Chris-
tian, Constantin Antonovici,
has asserted that Trifa, "a
criminal garbed in bishop
robes," is himself under the
religious jurisdiction of the
Patriarchate of Moscow.
Antonovici, a sculptor who
lives in New York, asked
The Jewish news to continue
its expose of the bishop of
the Romanian Episcopate of
America, "thus rendering a
great service to the part of
Romanian Christians who
don't desire to recognize
Trifa as their spiritual
leader."
. In his statement, Antono-
vici recalls the conditions
he witnessed in Bucharest
in January 1941. He said
Trifa joined with the pro--
Nazi Iron Guardist Horia
Sima in organizing a group
in Germany in 1938. Trifa,
who had a masters degree in
theology, saw his ambitions
being realized with the en-
trance of German troops in
Romania and the self-appoint.

ment of Sima, chief of the
Iron Guard, as vice premier
of the Romanian government.
Sima immediately appoint-
ed Trifa as president of the
National Union of Christian
Romanian Students, some
20,000 strong, and called
upon him to help organize a
revolution against the gov-
ernment of Ion Antonescu.
"The ability and the di-
abolic genius of Trifa,"
writes Antonovici, "came
immediately under evidence
when he started to incite the
youth against the Jews.
"For this purpose, he was
organizing many meetings
with the students and because
he was a very good speaker,
he convinced the students that
the Jews are the most dan-
gerous enemies of humanity
and civilization. Therefore,
they must be destroyed as
the hitlerian youth is doing
now."
One of Trifa's - many
speeches, broadcast by the
Romanian radio and carried
in newspapers up until the
revolution of Jan. 20, 1941,
stated:
"The leadership of the
peoples has fallen into the
hands of a cast of Jews and
Judaized which has falsified
everything, especially history.
The world has learned that
the League of Nations has
admirably helped the interest
to rule over the world
through Israel."
Antonovici said he was
present on Jan. 20, 1941,
when Trifa addressed a pub-

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Antonovici said it is his
lie meeting in the University codim of Leningrad, who pro-
Square of Bucharest, attend- moted him archbishop," said intention to "absolve the
ed by thousands of students Antonovici. "I believe that Romanian people of any re-
and workers wearing the Iron Trifa went under Moscow's sponsibility for the crimes
Guard uniform and pistols. protection because he is committed by a handful of
In his harangue, Trifa at- afraid of Jews, to have a irresponsible Romanians, de-
tacked the Jews and demand- place of refuge in order to ceived by the exponents of
ed "the replacement of all avoid the fate of Eichmann." Hitler's doctrine."
masonic persons, sympathiz-
What exactly was the role of Christians during the
ers of Jews in the govern-
ment." Revolution broke out Bucharest pogrom of January 1941? Constantin Antonovici
stated that the barbarism was wrought by a small group,
on Jan. 21.
and that the. Romanian people cannot-be blamed for the
Incited by Trifa's words,
"In the morning of Jan. 22, crimes.
His statement would appear to be borne out by an eye-
a powerful group under the witness report from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in
leadership of a Trifa _ friend, January and February 1941:
went to the Jewish quarters
"Romanian peasants, de- the rebellion, he was at horn.
of Dudesti and Vacaresti
streets, where they commit- fying Iron Guard marauders on the night of Jan. 22 when
ted lootings and atrocities, with rabbit guns, clubs and the massacre got under way.
"He hastily donned his uni-
broke and looted synagogues stones, transformed their
and abducted many Jews who little village of Dudesti Co- form and armed himself with
were shot in the woods. They plea into a safe area for an a revolver when it became
also set afire many Jewish estimated 1,000 Jews during obvious that the Guardist
houses. At the slaughter the Bucharest pogrom last mobs would visit the house.
Ordering his friends to hide
house of Bucharest have week.
"The unselfish action of in the cellar, he waited near
been found the bodies of 80
Jews hanging on the hooks the peasants was one of the the doorway until the mob
where the animals were most stirring incidents which began pounding on it. He
hanged. The bodies were occurred during the terrible then flung it open and bar-
nude, with slashed bellies hours of Wednesday and ring the way with outstretch-
and fractured skulls. The Thursday of last week when ed arms warned the Green-
savagery has surpassed any the Guardists attacked the shirts not to enter. He ad-
Jewish quarter.
mitted that the house was
imagination.
, "The village is on the out- owned by Jews but pointed
"When Gen. Antonescu skirts of Bucharest, not far
out that he was a Romanian
saw the disasters caused to from the periphery of the
the Jewish quarter, he or- Jewish area of the capital. army officer who had been
given sanctuary by Jewish
dered the army to smash the It is populated by peasant
friends after the loss of Bes-
revolt with guns and tanks." dairymen whose wives come
sarabia to Russia. He appeal-
The revolution came to an into Bucharest on little troi- ed to the marauders to put
end on Jan. 24, and Sima, kas every morning to distri-
down their arms, go home
Trifa and other rebel leaders bute milk throughout the city. and cease killing.
fled to Germany under the
"On Wednesday night the
"For a moment the mob
protection of the German inhabitants of the village sent
surging
in front of the house
army, Antonovici stated.
emissaries into the Jewish was silent. Then someone
The total dead was 236, in- quarter with offers of sanc- shouted 'Jew lover.' Others
cluding 144 Jews. The Bucha- tuary to anyone able to es- began to laugh and hurl in-
rest military court tried and cape. This correspendent was sults at the officer. Pulling
tentenced thousands to pri- unable to learn how many out his revolver, the officer
son, and a number of them Jews were able to take ad- warned he would shoot the
were executed.
vantage of the villagers' offer first man attempting to cross
Antonovici said that in but their number must have the threshold.
1945, with Hitler's defeat, been near a thousand.
"Before he had a chance
Trifa pretended to be a pro-
"Not a single Jew who
fessor and took refuge at an sought refuge in the village to carry out his threat, some-
Italian Catholic cloister. Five came to any harm. The milk- one in the mob shot him dead
years later, Trifa falsified men and peasants, armed and the Guardists surged into
the house across his body.
his background and entered with shotguns customarily
They found the Jews in the
the U.S. as an immigrant. used for shooting rabbits,
Now, the U.S. Immigration formed a cordon around cellar and, needless to say,
and Naturalization Service is their village and resolutely killed all of them. The Guard-
investigating his background. refused to let any Guardists ists stripped the house of all
valuables, s p r ink le d the
If he is denaturalized, Trifa enter it.
floors and walls with gaso-
will be sent back to Romania,
"The pogrom produced
where he faces war crimes many heroes and martyrs, line and set it afire."
Several hundred Christians
charges.
both Christian and Jewish.
Trifa, who now accuses his Many Christians were killed were killed by Iron Guardists
Jewish attackers as Corn- or wounded when they at- when they sought to defend
munist, "became intimate tempted to save the lives of Jews during the pogrom,
friends with Metropolitan Ni- Jews and literally thousands JTA reported. "It was a
massacre of Jews but instead
devoted themselves during of infecting the populace the
the massacre to the protec- action caused revulsion
tion of threatened Jewish among the people."
interests. The most common
"Equally significant was
instance of heroism was that
practiced by many Christians the fact that there was little
looting by bystanders. Most
Americana Complex I, H, III who went to live in the homes of those involved in such in-
of Jewish friends in order to
Greenfield Rd., N. of 9 Mile
358-1414
358-3920
appear in the doorways when cidents were gypsies.
"Though the Guardist
the
Guardist killers arrived
Wed. MATINEES ALL
THEATERS-1 Show only
and trick them into believ- their hurry dropped or
at_1:15—$1
ing the house was occupied behind many items stolen
by a Christian family. Many from the Jewish shops, the=me
AMERICANA I
lost their lives when the bystanders were so revolted
"THE STING"
Guardists discovered they by the Guardist actions that
AMERICANA II
had been duped and that they let them lie, feeling
that evil would befall them
"THE EXORCIST"
they were sheltering Jews.
"The outstanding Christian if they picked them up."
AMERICANA III
The JTA reporter noted
"AMERICAN GRAFFITI" (PG) hero probably was a Ro-
manian officer whose name that "the 'general staff' which
AMERICANA IV
this correspondent was un- ordered the massacre con-
"THE WAY WE WERE" (PG) able to learn.
sisted of Vice Premier Horia
"The officer, a refugee Sima, chief of the Greenshirt
12 Mile-Coolidge
BERKLEY
LI 2-0330
from Bessarabia, had been Legion; Dimitry Groza, boss
Weekdays Open 6:45
living with Jewish friends of the Legionary Workers
Robert Redford in
in Bucharest since demobili- Corps, composed of lumpen-
Jeremiah Johnson (PG)
at 7:00 and 8:55
zation from the Romanian ar- proletariat' and completely
Saturday matinee Open at 1:00
Jeremiah Johnson at 1:20 and 3:15 my at the end of November. lacking in skilled or organiz-
Reopen Saturday evening at 6:45
ed workers; and Viorel Trifa,
Jeremiah Johnson at 7:05 and 9:10 Since he had not received
Sunday open at 1:00
orders to join his army unit leader of the frenetic Green-
Jeremiah Johnson at 1:20, 3:15,
and assist in putting down shirt 'student movement'."
7:00 and 8:55

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