M.52.DAChrvO - Documentation from the State Archives of the Chernovtsy Region History of the Archives The State Archives of the Chernovtsy Region was established in November 1907, but it was closed in early 1918 along with other government institutions following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The northern area of Bukovina and the Khotin district in the Bessarabia region were included in the Kingdom of Romania. By order of the Romanian Ministry of Education and the General State Directorate of the Archives of Romania, the State Archives of Bukovina in Chernovtsy was established in 1924. According to Romanian legislation of July 1925, "the responsibility for the organization of the State Archives, the archives throughout Romania, belongs to the Ministry of Education, bringing them directly under the supervision of the general administration of the State Archives of Romania located in Bucharest". The archives were re-organized in 1938 into the Regional Administration of the State Archives in Chernovtsy, which was active until June 1940, when the Khotin district in Bessarabia and the northern area of Bukovina became part of Soviet Ukraine. With the German and Romanian invasion in July 1941, the State Archives of Romania resumed its activities, but it was closed again in March 1944. The establishment of a network of state archival institutions in the Soviet Union also changed the status of this archive. Archive documents became public property, and the archives received the status of scientific research institutions. In 1957, groups [departments] were established for the conservation and repair of the documents, including the disinfection of the documents and the removal of insects; these departments were later turned into workshops [laboratories] and the storage facilities for the documents were also improved. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the administrative committee decided in 1988 to transfer the actual administration of the archives' affairs in the region to the Regional Archive. As of September 1955, the State Archives of the Chernovtsy Region operates under the auspices of the head administration of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine. Historical background: Murder of the Jews in Bukovina and Bessarabia, and deportation of the Jews to Transnistria: Before the entrance of the Romanian Army into Bukovina and Bessarabia during World War II, the aim was already determined: cleansing of the regions of Jews. Many orders regarding the Jews were given verbally and, in addition, many documents were destroyed before the downfall of the Antonescu regime. As a result, there is no documentation today regarding the exact date and forum in which these aims were set; however, later references confirm that Antonescu apparently came to an agreement with Hitler regarding the Jews in the "new" regions. Antonescu gave the following order: "All pro-Communist Romanians and Ukrainians must be sent to the other side of the Dniester River, and all minorities (the nickname for the Jews) of this type must be liquidated". The murder of the Jews was done in two stages. The first stage was during the time period between the retreat of the Soviet Army and the entrance of the Romanian Army. During this stage, local residents - mainly in the rural areas - took the initiative (Romanian inciters were sent by personnel of the 2nd Office of the Romanian Chief-of-Staff before the arrival of the Romanian Army) and organized themselves into gangs. These gangs kidnapped Jews, looted Jewish property, raped young Jewish women and murdered Jews. Many incidents were documented in which the gang of Ivan Kodlo from Banila and the gang of the teacher Vladimir Russo from Sadagura and others participated. At this stage, tens of thousands of Jews were murdered. The second stage was implemented following the Romanian Army occupation of these areas. A spoken order was transferred between Romanian Army units during the first 24 hours of the occupation, to murder Jews and to loot Jewish property without any restraint (according to rumors that circulated among the Jews during the first three days). German Army forces that participated in the occupation also acted under the command of Antonescu, and their actions, such as the pogrom in Balti (Belz), therefore fall under the responsibility of the Romanian government. The special instructions, which were transferred verbally, caused problems because not everyone was prepared to implement them. In order to overcome this problem, an urgent telegram was sent to all of the prefects in the Bessarabia and Bukovina areas on 29 June, in which orders were given "To shoot, to transfer to harsh forced labor, and to starve the Jewish residents in all of the areas of Bessarabia and Bukovina". At Cetatea Alba ("The White Fortress"), a local officer who was unfamiliar with the verbal orders requested to receive written orders, and Colonel Marshall Petală traveled there specially in order to convey the order. The next day, 3,500 Jews were murdered there. The decree regarding the deportation to Transnistria was implemented decisively and whoever attempted to return to the places from which they were deported was punished with the greatest severity. The official journal "Bukovina", published on 09 April 1943, included a brief news item on the subject. The news item mentioned a Jewish couple named Meyer Geldner and Regina Geldner, who were deported to Transnistria; they returned to Cernauti secretly; they were discovered and were put on trial before a court of law. The court of law, headed by Colonel Davideanu, with the participation of Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Munteanu, Major Grigoroviţă and the Prosecutor Pocubschi Francisc, judged the couple and sentenced them to punishment by death. Description of the Sub-Record Group: This Sub-Record Group includes general documentation of the Chernovtsy Police, including: Order regarding the transfer of Jews to forced labor for the Romanian Army; order given by Mihai Antonescu regarding the confiscation of radio sets; order regarding the draft of Jews to forced labor; permission for the holding of prayers in synagogues throughout Romania during the religious holidays; order banning travel by Jews inside Romania; letters sent to their family members in Bukovina by people who were deported to Transnistria in 1941; documentation of the Romanian government of the Bukovina area in Chernovtsy; correspondence regarding the employment of Jews, until the completion [replacement] of the labor force by people of Romanian nationality; personal files of Jews who were deported to concentration camps for various crimes, including underground and Communist activities; spying on behalf of the Soviets; crimes related to racial legislation; escape from the ghettos; preparation of propaganda, and other matters; registration forms of Jews from Chernovtsy, prepared by the Jewish Center in Romania central office in 1943; announcement by Corneliu Colotescu, the governor of Bukovina, regarding the deportation of the Jews of Cernauti to the ghetto on 11 October 1941, in preparation for the next deportation; lists of Jews from Chernovtsy, 1941-1944.