Romanian officials pay tribute to hundreds of Holocaust refugees who died in sinking of ship

For the first time in the country’s history, Romanian officials have paid tribute to the hundreds of Jewish refugees fleeing persecution during the Holocaust who died in the tragic sinking of a ship.

In December 1941, nearly 800 Jewish people boarded the MV Struma, a ship due to travel from the southern Romanian coastal city of Constanţa to Mandatory Palestine via Turkey. However, once the boat docked in Istanbul, Turkish authorities refused to provide entry to the refugees, leaving the boat in the harbour for over two months. Authorities then towed the boat out to sea without an anchor or working engine, and the boat sank the very next day. It is believed that a Soviet submarine mistook the MV Struma for a hostile vessel, and torpedoed it, leaving only one survivor.

On Tuesday, a ceremony, attended by approximately 80 people, was held in commemoration at Constanţa. Romanian Rear Admiral Mihai Panait said at the event: “We commemorate today not only a tragic event, but we also bring back the attention to the suffering caused by the repression of the Jews during the Second World War.”

David Saranga, Israel’s ambassador to Romania, said: “It’s the first time that Romania officially commemorates the Struma’s tragedy on Romanian soil, and it’s part of the efforts of successive governments in recent years to face the past and the events of the Holocaust era, when half of the country’s Jewish community was murdered.”

Last month, a Romanian political party was criticised for referring to Holocaust education as a “minor topic”.

Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.