"The Romanian diplomat Constantin Karadja deserves to be considered in Israel among the 'just men of the Gentiles' - those who saved Jews risking their own lives - along with other 29 'just Gentiles' of the Romanian people", states Professor Alfred Harlaoanu, who holds a Ph.D. in Philological Sciences and performs historical research.
He discovered a few weeks ago a number of documents of exceptional historical value in the archives of the Office of Foreign Affairs. While writing a special chapter concerning the diplomatic ties between Romania and Israel for his new book The World History of the Jewish People (a book of over 1,200 typed pages which is currently being translated into English), this distinguished professional has unearthed documents over 50 years old, dating from the time when Constantin Karadja was Consul General in Berlin. In that capacity, beginning with the year 1942, the Romanian diplomat submitted a number of reports to the appropriate offices in Romania in which he advocated the need to save the Romanian citizens of Jewish origin who were in Germany and in occupied territories. That action took place at a time when the conditions of the survivors among those citizens were desperate.
"He managed thus to save hundreds and hundreds of human lives from Hitler's fury. Owing to the intervention of the Romanian Consular Direction, those people were permitted to return to Romania endowed with passports. In his notes and reports, of which one can be found in the Office of Foreign Affairs file no. 3342, pages 38-39, fund no. 24, dated March 19, 1942, Consul Karadja proves to be a man of lofty principles and high integrity, whose defining characteristic is humaneness", adds Professor Harlaoanu.
In his report no. 288 of December 17, 1943 forwarded from the Consular Direction of the Office of Foreign Affairs, Constantin Karadja first points out the thrust of German policy, outlined by a threatening speech given by Hitler who said: "Should we lose the war, I can guarantee that not a single Jew will survive in Central Europe". Then the report treats of the core of the Jewish problem, "that has for long been one of the hardest to solve in Romania, where the Jews immigrated in compact masses from Poland and the Ukraine especially since Romania became a kingdom", depicting the Romanian tolerant policy toward entire generations of refugees and showing that "those unfortunate people ... who were forced to leave their homes" must find "temporary refuge in Romania, where they shall be well treated."
Constantin Karadja's stand to the rIgime of Berlin results clearly from his personal dossier; he writes: "I entered into a conflict with it because I did my duty and could not cooperate with the Nazis nor follow their orders." As a result of that conflict Karadja was recalled to Bucharest, after a few days however regaining his function as the Consul General of Romania in Berlin through royal decree.
Professor Harlaoanu told us that he would continue his research into the archives of the Office of Foreign Affairs in order to obtain a definitive image of the activities of the diplomat Constantin Karadja. We have a precise figure only for March 1943, when his deputy, Consul General Traian Gallin, saved 53 Jews (12 families), sending them to Romania. And Romania's stand as regards the Jewish problem is seen from the note of the President of the Council of Ministers no. 311065 of December 16, 1943 to the General Commissary for Jewish Problems in which it is stated that Marshall Antonescu "has approved the transportation of Jewish children together with those who accompany them on the steamer Belassitta under Bulgarian registry. Those children will be taken to Istanbul and hence they will pass into Palestine."
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