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Village Name: Dolhasca (town, Suceava County)
Region, Country: Moldova Region, Romania
Deportation Date: September 1942
Excerpt from Testimony:
“[…] After arriving [in Transnistria] in a German colony, the Roma almost got shot by the locals because they feared being evicted from their homes [to be given to the deportees]. At first, during
the skirmish, several Roma children were crushed by horses. Later, the column [of deportees] headed towards Zorina, where they settled in an empty field, under the open sky, near a barn. The Russians came to sell fish. They stayed here until September. Occasionally, they would receive food
rations. Many people died. The bodies were thrown into a valley without being buried.”
Romanian Archives (if available):
The interviewee and their entire family (parents Mihai and Catinca, three sisters, and one brother) are listed on the deportation list compiled by the Baia Gendarmerie Legion. A total of 100 sedentary Roma (40 families) were deported from Dolhasca in September 1942 (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no.127/1942, pp. 99–101).
Historical Note on the Roma:
Dolhasca is home to one of the most significant Roma communities in Suceava County. The town is
located about 44 km from the city of Suceava. At the end of the 19th century, it was a rural commune, which included the town of Dolhasca as well as the villages of Probota, Buda, and Gulia, with a population of 4,406 (MDRG 1900, III: 167–168). The majority of Roma lived in the village of
Gulia, which was separated from Dolhasca and became its own commune after 1900. In 1930, the
commune of Gulia had 1,286 inhabitants, including 242 Roma. Dolhasca commune had 2,081
inhabitants in the 1930 census, but no Roma (RGP 1930, II: 44–45). In 1931, Gulia reverted to being a village and was annexed back to Dolhasca commune (Baia County) (TRCR 1931: 37).
located about 44 km from the city of Suceava. At the end of the 19th century, it was a rural commune, which included the town of Dolhasca as well as the villages of Probota, Buda, and Gulia, with a population of 4,406 (MDRG 1900, III: 167–168). The majority of Roma lived in the village of
Gulia, which was separated from Dolhasca and became its own commune after 1900. In 1930, the
commune of Gulia had 1,286 inhabitants, including 242 Roma. Dolhasca commune had 2,081
inhabitants in the 1930 census, but no Roma (RGP 1930, II: 44–45). In 1931, Gulia reverted to being a village and was annexed back to Dolhasca commune (Baia County) (TRCR 1931: 37).
Historical Note on Deportation:
The deportation of Roma from Dolhasca took place in several stages. In May 1942, the gendarmes
registered the Roma in the locality and identified 178 sedentary Roma, many without means of
livelihood and some with criminal records. This list included the interviewee’s family, along with
several uncles and aunts (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no. 203/1942, pp. 48).
registered the Roma in the locality and identified 178 sedentary Roma, many without means of
livelihood and some with criminal records. This list included the interviewee’s family, along with
several uncles and aunts (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no. 203/1942, pp. 48).
The interviewee’s father was warned of the imminent deportation and tried desperately to save his family by volunteering for military service, hoping to be sent to the front. His attempt failed, and the entire family was included on the final deportation list from Dolhasca. The 100 Roma (40 families) on this list were taken by gendarmes from their homes in September 1942. Their property was nationalized, and they were escorted to the local train station, where they were loaded onto cattle cars bound for Pașcani–Iași.
After a brief stop in Iași, the cattle cars were attached to the special train E7 Iași–Tighina, which departed on September 16, traveling the Iași–Tighina–Tiraspol route, and reached Transnistria after
nearly a week (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no. 127/1942, pp. 128; 133).
nearly a week (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no. 127/1942, pp. 128; 133).
Once in Transnistria, some of the Roma from Dolhasca, including the interviewee’s family, were escorted to the Oceakov County. They passed by a German colony where they were attacked by the locals (who feared that they would be evicted and replaced by deported Roma) and temporarily
settled near Zorina, under the open sky.
They eventually reached the village of Kovalevka (Oceakov County), where they were placed in the barns of a collective farm. Many died due to the cold and hunger. The interviewee’s father submitted a petition for repatriation in December 1942, arguing that he was part of the mobilizable Roma category. His petition was rejected by the Baia Gendarmerie Legion in January 1943, citing that he had been discharged from the army and was considered a “bad element” (ANI, IGJ Fund, file no. 43/1943, 1:47).
The interviewee’s family was moved to Vorovșcina, a village from which the local Ukrainian
inhabitants had been evacuated. The Roma lived in houses for almost two years and worked on a collective farm. Forced labor, hunger, cold, and typhus caused the death of more than half of the deportees. According to the interviewee, the bodies were buried by the deportees in mass graves and separate graves outside the village.
inhabitants had been evacuated. The Roma lived in houses for almost two years and worked on a collective farm. Forced labor, hunger, cold, and typhus caused the death of more than half of the deportees. According to the interviewee, the bodies were buried by the deportees in mass graves and separate graves outside the village.
The interviewee lost their mother, two brothers, and one sister. The repatriation likely occurred in the spring or summer of 1944, following the retreat of the Romanian–German forces from Transnistria in the face of the advancing Red Army. The deportees boarded a train filled with Romanian and German soldiers and headed towards Ivanovka (Berezovka County), from where they continued towards Romania. Along the way, they witnessed a series of crimes and horrors (such as the looting and murder of a group of 3 Jews).
A Brief Note on an Aspect of the Roma:
The Roma from Dolhasca engaged in agricultural work (as did the interviewee’s family) but also
practiced traditional crafts, such as metalworking (coppersmiths), woodwork, bone and horn crafting (comb makers), and music (bear dancers).
practiced traditional crafts, such as metalworking (coppersmiths), woodwork, bone and horn crafting (comb makers), and music (bear dancers).
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