US museum slams Romania for 'anti-Semitic' coin

[demmiblue]

BUCHAREST - The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum says the refusal of Romania's central bank to withdraw a coin bearing the image of a prime minister who stripped Jews of their citizenship before World War II is "insensitive" to the memory of Holocaust victims.

The Anti-Defamation League also condemned the decision and urged President Traian Basescu Friday to ensure that information about the anti-Semitic actions of Miron Cristea is included with each coin.

The museum in Washington, D.C., said Cristea's tenure as Romania's premier from 1938 to 1939 "marked the opening of a systematic campaign of anti-Semitic persecution by successive Romania governments that resulted in the devastation of the Romanian Jewish community during the Holocaust."

"We are shocked and disappointed that the National Bank of Romania has decided to honor Miron Cristea, even after consideration of his anti-Semitic actions and statements," Anti-Defamation League director Abraham H. Foxman said.


Read More: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/world/Copy_of_us-museum-slams-romania-for-%27anti-semitic%27-coin-ews-ap-wmar1282321074936

[old mark]

1. Romania was a haven for european Jews till the 18th century, when anti-semitism was fostered

largely by the Catholic church. Over 50% of Romanian Jews were murdered in WWII-the Romanian Iron Guards being some of the most brutal killers, exceeding even the SS in cruelty.
FWIW, Romania fought on the Axis side-allied with Hitler-and lost huge numbers of troops at Stalingrad...Romania was later overrun by the Soviets and fought on their side against the Nazis.
Romania lost more casualties in WWII than the USA did in all theatres of the war combined.

I am certain that coin is representative of the times in which it was made, but they could have chosen better...


mark

[demmiblue]

2. Thanks for the background info.

:hi:

[DailyGrind51]

4. Romanians do not follow the Catholic faith, they are Romanian Orthodox Christians!

And, they are the first who will insist on the distinction!

[old mark]

5. I am merely transmitting information I read, which referred to the Catholic Church -

I will look into it.
I do know Romanians seem to be a very strong minded and independent people.

mark

[DailyGrind51]

6. Here is a good source!

"The Romanian Orthodox Church

In the late 1980s, the Romanian Orthodox Church, by far the largest denomination, claimed some 16 million members--roughly 70 percent of the total population. The church had some 12,000 places of worship and 9,000 priests and was the most generously supported of all denominations. The most important positions in the Orthodox hierarchy were filled by party nominees, and the church remained patently submissive to the regime, even in the face of repeated attacks on the most basic religious values and continued violations of church rights. Church leaders lauded the "conditions of religious freedom" that the state had guaranteed them and were known to collaborate with the Securitate in silencing clergymen who spoke out against the demolition of churches, interference in church affairs, and atheistic propaganda in the media.

The Roman Catholic Church

The next largest denomination, the Catholic Church in the late 1980s had about 3 million members, who belonged to two groups--the Eastern Rite Church, or Uniates, and the Latin Rite Church, or Roman Catholics. After 1948 the Department of Cults took the official position that "no religious community and none of its officials may have relations with religious communities abroad" and that "foreign religious cults may not exercise jurisdiction on Romanian territory." These regulations were designed to abolish papal authority over Catholics in Romania, and the Roman Catholic Church, although it was one of the sixteen recognized religions, lacked legal standing, as its organizational charter was never approved by the Department of Cults. The fact that most members of the Roman Catholic community were ethnic Hungarians probably contributed to the church's tenuous position. In 1948 Roman Catholics were deprived of three of five sees, leaving only two bishops to attend to the spiritual needs of the large membership..."

http://countrystudies.us/romania/48.htm

[old mark]

7. OK...the source I read was speaking of the period from maybe 1900-1940's....nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. Not only Prime Minister -- he was the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

He's the big-bearded one in the pic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miron_Cristea