Deported Nomadic Roma from Strehaia – Translated

Name of the town: Strehaia (city)

Region, country: Mehedinți County, Oltenia region (Romania)

Date of deportation: June – August 1942

Excerpt from testimony:

“[The deported Roma] left in carts pulled by donkeys and traveled all the way to Transnistria. They
stopped several times to water the donkeys. They were guarded by numerous gendarmes, who escorted them from post to post. At each stop, more Roma joined them. The gendarmes from one village would escort them to the next, where they were handed over to the local gendarmes. The journey lasted the entire summer. All their tools were confiscated, making it impossible for  them to work. However, the interviewee’s family kept all their valuable possessions in their cart. Once they arrived in Transnistria, they were relocated to the stables of kolkhozes. The Germans executed newborns by shooting them […]”

Romanian archives (if they exist):

Unfortunately, no archival documents related to the Roma deported from Strehaia have been
identified.

Historical note on the Roma:

The presence of Roma in Strehaia is documented as early as the 17th century. At the beginning of the 1900s, the commune of Strehaia had approximately 6,000 inhabitants (MDG 1901, V: 468). During the interwar period, the commune was elevated to city status, and by 1930, its population had reached 7,870, including 281 Roma (RGP 1930, II.1: 278–279). Many of them were căldărari (Roma specialized in metalworking), who moved seasonally for work.