Analyzing Compensation Files: A Quantitative Study of Holocaust Victims under Romanian Administration in Buzău County
Analyzing Compensation Files: A Quantitative Study of Holocaust Victims under Romanian Administration in Buzău County
Author(s): Petre MateiSubject(s): Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Local History / Microhistory, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of the Holocaust, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity
Published by: Institutul National pentru Studierea Holocaustului din Romania ELIE WIESEL
Keywords: Holocaust; genocide; Jews; Roma; compensation; Romania; Buzău County; Râmnicu Sărat County; ITS; Arolsen Archives;
Summary/Abstract: This article examines 286 compensation claims submitted in the summer of 1970 by survivors from Buzău County, Romania. The analysis encompasses three categories of claims: from Jews (169 compensation forms), from either sedentary or nomadic Roma (109), and from “political prisoners” (8). The study’s objective is to assess to what extent, and under what conditions, this collection of compensation claims can contribute to our understanding of the Holocaust in Romania. Given that the primary purpose of these claims was to secure West-German compensation, rather than to provide historical information (which was consequently presented and filtered by both the claimants and the Romanian authorities), the article concludes that this collection of compensation claims can only prove useful, if considered within its specific context and approached with caution. The study thus offers insights into the complexities of using such compensation claims as historical sources and their potential limitations in Holocaust research.
Journal: Holocaust. Studii şi cercetări
- Issue Year: XVI/2024
- Issue No: 17
- Page Range: 219-247
- Page Count: 29
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF
