A Romanian anti-Semitism watchdog group condemned Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’ honoring of a man who praised fascists who murdered Jews during the Holocaust.
The Center for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, or MCA Romania, was responding to the admission last month of the anti-Communist political activist Octav Bjoza into the Order of the Star of Romania for his efforts within the Association of Former Political Prisoners in Romania.
Bjoza, 76, was the first of 25 people Iohannis decorated with the Star of Romania medal. The Dec. 22 ceremony was the newly elected president’s first official function after assuming office the previous day.
“It is deeply regrettable that in post-communist Romania, Mr. Bjoza chose to celebrate the ideas and beliefs of a criminal group like the Legionnaires,” MCA Romania Director Maximillian Marco Katz told JTA Thursday, referring to Romania’s pro-Nazi Iron Guard. Iohannis’ embrace of Bjoza was “a disappointing note of populism,” he added. “It sends the wrong message.”
Iron Guard members killed 125 Jews during the Bucharest pogrom of 1941 and many thousands more throughout World War II.
In 2009, Bjoza was filmed attending an event titled “Commemorating Legionnaires, Assassinated Martyrs,” where he said: “I am not a Legionnaire, it was too late to become one, but fortunately, at the age of 19 I was educated by some of them.”
He said they taught him that “the Romanian nation is hunted by traitors.” For this, he added, “I will forever carry them in my mind and in my soul.”
Following criticism over the award he received, Bjoza told the Adevarul daily that he was “not anti-Semitic” and that he “rejects extremism of any sort.”
Iohannis told Romanian media that the criticism of Bjoza was unfounded because Bjoza was never a member of the Iron Guard.
This article series tells the stories of the 15 finalists selected in the BVB Arena program. BVB Arena is the flagship program of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, dedicated to developing and promoting the Romanian entrepreneurial environment. The program’s goal is to select and promote Romanian companies that have the greatest growth potential and high chances […]
Salt Bank, the first 100% digital Romanian bank built entirely from scratch, has been named by Celent as the 2025 Model Bank for Digital Bank Launch. Celent is one of the world’s most prestigious research and advisory firms focused on technology for financial institutions. By receiving the title of "2025 Model Bank for Digital Bank […]
The 8th edition of the national educational program “Healthy Lifestyle, Diverse Nutrition and an Eco-Responsible Attitude” under the motto “Good for Taste, Good for Health, Good for the Planet!” has concluded. The program was organized by the Taste Celebration Association and funded by the Auchan Foundation with 100,000 euros. The program aims to convey to […]
Romania's budget deficit, meaning the gap between revenues and expenditures, reached 3.39% of GDP after the first five months of the year, while the new government grapples with balancing initiatives. The deficit increased compared to the first four months, when it stood at 2.95% of GDP, and remained roughly stable compared to the first five […]
eLog, a Balkan-based provider of reusable transport packaging systems for the retail sector, has entered the Romanian market by leasing 4,000 sqm of warehouse and office space at CTPark Bucharest North. The facility, developed by CTP, will serve as eLog’s first operational hub in Romania, supporting its expansion into local retail logistics. Specializing in Retail […]
More than three-quarters of Romanians (76%) see Artificial Intelligence as an opportunity for the economy and society, although half of them also acknowledge its risks, according to a new RoCoach and Novel Research study. Overall, over one-third of respondents (35.7%) believe that AI will primarily lead to job losses, even if new types of roles […]
