ICover design: Ionel CAndeaDTP: Camelia HristianPhotography: Gabriel Stoica, Marian Ghiveci, Roberto TinisacheGreek translation: Iulia Marica SaridacheRussian translation: Evdochia Smaznov

Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Nalionale a RominieiGreeks, jews, Lipovan Russians, Turks ... Briila / editors:

Camelia Hristiary Ghena Pricop, Evdochia Smaznov;English translation by Gabriela Debita' - Briila : EdituraIstros a Muzeului Briilei, 2014ISBN 978-6 06-654-125 -1'

I. Hristian, Camelia (ed.)IL Pricop, Ghena (ed.)III. Smaznov, EvdochiaIV. Debita, Gabriela (trad.)

323.1

@2014,Museum of Briila ,,Carol I". Istros Publishing House

Cultural projectdeveloped by the Museum of Briila, in partnership with the Briila County

Council, the Hellenic Community of Brdila, the Federation of JewishCommunities of Romania - Briila Community, the "obscina" Foundation of the

Lipovan Russian Community of Romania, Briila,and the Turkish Democratic Union of Romania - Briila (2012)'

Cultural Projectfinanced by the Natiolral Cultural Fund Administration

...Greeks, f ezns, Lipoaan Russians, Turks ...Brdila.

Editors:Camelia Hristian

Ghena PricopEvdochia Smaznov

English translation byGabriela Debita

MUSEUM OF BRAILA,,CAROL I"

ISTROS PUBTISHING

BRAILA,2Ol4

IBRAILA'S ETHNIC COMMUNITIES - A EUROPEAN AFFAIR(19L9 - 1e40)

CRISTIAN CONSTANTIN-

The city of Briila has long functioned as a center of ethniccooperation ur,d tol"ra.,.e, a role which it must continue to fulfill in thefutoru. Only a port city of such economic importance could attract' likea magnet, merchants and ship-owners from all over the world' After allwateiways have always served as the most affordable and secure means

of communication and transportation, enabling both commercial andcultural exchanges to flourish.

Many oi Breilu't ethnic denizens did not have Romaniancitizenship. Acting under the protection of various entities' theycultivatei relationships with the diplomatic representatives of otherstates.Thegoalofthispaperistodescribe,onthebasisofdiplomaticreportsand"archivaldoctrments,themulticulturalsocietywhichhadflourished in Briila during the interwar period. In'addition to oralhistory, the collected memories of various ethnic communities publishedto daie, local archival sources (which have been considerably betterdocumentedinrecentyears),foreignarchivalsourcesfocusingontheexile of the ]ewish community, and foreign consulate archives providenew and interesting information'

According to statistical data collecte d by oficir't stdrii Civile de peI6ngd Primdria Brdila lThe City of Brdila's Registryl' there were 20nat-ionalities living in Brdila in the year 1932. Romanians represented66% of the populatiory followed by ]ews and Greeksl. other important

. Paper selected for inclusion in the "Discover Multicultural Briila" competition database'

Theauthorisasecond.yearMAstudentintheDepartmentofHistory,PhilosophyandTheology at the Dunirea de Jos University, Galali (area of interest: At the Crossroads ofTwo Worlds

- Romania betzoeen Enst and Westl'

I Glr. Mihdiles ot, Populalia Brdilei studiu de demogrnfie ilinamicd 9i statisticd, in "AnaleleBriilei", lV , '1932, pp. 1O6-1'37 . See Table 1 '

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and active communities were the Italian, French, British, and Belgianones, each of which consisted of approximately 1,000 citizens and adiplomatic attach6. During the interwar period, each of Briila's ethniccommunities coalesced around one or more significant figures, all ofwhom represented their respective groups in a distinguished andhonorable manner. This paper will attempt to present, on the basis ofhistorical documents, some previously unpublished informationregarding several ethnic communities living in Briila during the interwarperiod. Our research focuses both on the presentation of commercial,political, diplomatic, and cultural relations initiated by important figuresfrom communities which maintained consular representation in Briila,but also on the relationship between these figures and members of theirrespective communities.

1. Foreign Diplomats in Briila -

Emblematic Figures

Briila's Jewish community was sizable. Due to the fact that theState of Israel was not established until 1948, the ]ewish populationsought the protection of various European states, in addition to thatconferred by Romanian citizenship. Some of the members of thiscommunity served as diplomatic attachds of European countries with adiplomatic mission in Briila. Examples include the Mendl, Grupper, andHeinerich Braun (Dr. Haim) families.

Heinerich Braun2, also known as Dr. Haim, was born tnMay 1.874and attained Romanian citizenship on February 21., 7919. FIe was anotable member of the Jewish community in Briila, but also an ardentdefender of Czechoslovakian interests during his tenure as consul of thiscountry. Heinerich Braun owned a private company, which operated asa shipping and customs shipping office. Together with his wife Feighe(Fany), n6e Grunberg, he had a daughter, Leontina (7), and a son, Marcel(12)3. The Braun's family residence was located at no. 70 Carol Blvd. in

2 Serviciul Judelean al Arhivelor Nalior,ale Briila (her-rceforth cited as SIAN BR\, ColecliaAgenlii d.e uapoare Brdila, flle no. 7717933, f. 3 urm.3 lhident.

476 477

Briila. Documents regarding Dr. Haim's life often refer to thecommercial activities carried out by his company in the Briila harborarea. Heinerich Braun's private company, located on Misitiilor St.4, wasregistered with the City of Briila Courthouse on June 11, 1913.

On August 15, 1.91.6, Braun received his deployment orders. Hecompleted his military training with the Financial AdministrationBureau between October 1, 191.6 and October 6, 19'1.6. Between October9110, 191,6 and November 1, 191.6, he was hospitalized at the BilcescuHospital, and on November 21., 191.6 he was assigned to the MilitiaBattalion. On May 75, 191.8, he was dismissed from the battalion anddischargeds. According to existing documents, Heinerich Braun did notengage in morally questionable behavior and did not commit anydishonorable or treasonous acts.

Members of the Mendl family, also Jewish, were involved in the1907 revolt and came close to leaving the country, fearing severerepercussions from the employees of their leasehold estates. Severalmembers of this family were able to obtain the protection of influentialEuropean states. A 1913 table produced by the Consular Corps of Briilaindicates that three members of the Mendl family served as diplomaticattach6s. Alfredo B. Mendl defended Belgian interests in Briila, whileAchille B. Mendl and Victor B. Mendl oversaw Norwegian and Swedishinterests, respectively.

The Agrarian Reform, which came into force at the beginning of theinterwar period, had significant impact on the Mendl family's affairs.Nevertheless, the family continued to reside in Briila. Documents issuedn 1922 attest the presence of Alfred Mendl, Norwegian Consul, andVictor Mendl, Swedish Consul. The former continued to hold thisposition until the Second World War6. The Mendl brothers maintainedan intense correspondence with local economic and commercialinstitutions, and especially with various ship agencies, which couldfacilitate the export of grains produced on their estates to European

l lbiilem, f .1.s lbident f .5.6 Information retrieved from archival sources and Briilan periodicals published duringthis period. Also see SJAN BR, Pre.fecturn judelului Brriila Collection, file no. 5011940, f . 8.

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markets. In 1918, Victor B. Mendl served as president of Brdila,sChamber of Commerce and Industry, while his brother, Alfred B. Mendl,served as President of the Briila stock Exchange in 19267. The Mendlresidence, located in Poligon square, became the home of the panaitIstr ati Libr ary, Briila's County Library.

Conrad Grupper was a ]ewish-Romanian citizen who held severalpublic offices during the 1930s. rn 7932, he served as president of theBriila Stock Exchange, and starting on March 24, L9g3, he became thediplomatic attach6 of Panama to Briila. Throughout this decade, hecarried out his commercial activities in the Briila harbor area by meansof his private enterprise, G. t F. Grupper s.A. - Comision gi expirtator decereales. Contemporary documents reveal certain illegal activities carriedout by Grupper's company, which were not prosecuted due to the factthat the courts responsible for the arbitration of these issues were, at thetime, under the control of major grain exporters and foreign attachdse.

In addition to members of the Jewish community, a number ofnotable representatives of Briila's other ethnic communities also servedas foreign attachds. starting in the 19th century, the Boscoff family (and,later on, the Boscoffs' business associates, the Vuccino family) assumedthe leadership of the French diplomatic mission in Briila, as well as thatof the Imperial Russian mission. Ana-Maria vele,s doctoral researchsummarizes available data regarding French diplomatic representativesin Romania between 1866 and 19'L4io. In 1gg4 a member of the Boscofffamily was appointed Vice-Consul of France in Brdila, replacing a certainM.N'11. The presence of the Boscoff (or Boskoff) family is documented inBriila around 1845, when a Gheorghe Boskof served as Director of the

t Se"(accessed September 2Q 2012).8 slAN B& Inspectorntul Regionar ar Muncii Bniirn collection, file no. 1.411.gg3, t.3g2.'

SJAN B& Inspectorntul Regional nl Muncii Brdila Collection. The files in this collectionreveal that Grupper employed unskilled workers for trimming jobs in order to avoidpaying the minimum rates negotiated with the trade unions.r0 Ana-Maria Yele, Re\rrezentarea dipromnticd n Franlei ht Ronfinin 0g66-1914), in ,,AnuarulInstitutului de Istorie "G. Bariliu,, din Cluj-Napoca,,, tom. XLVII, 200g, pp.143_1,56.11 Despite consulting both French and Romanian diplomatic archives, Ms. vele wasunable to establish the identity of M.N.; irt lbidem., p.1.4g.

Philemboric Bank. For a short while, a member of the Boscoff familyserved as Russia's diplomatic representative in Briila. During thisperiod, the family donated the necessary building materials for theconstruction of the Armenian Church in Briilal2. After 1908, Boscoff wasreplaced with a member of the Vuccino family, Marc Vuccino, who filledthis office until the First World War13. After the war, the French Vice-Consulate was placed under the leadership of Charles Vuccino. OnMarch 14, 1929, Michel Boscoff became the French consularrepresentative in Briila. The Vuccino and Boscoff families co-ownedseveral businesses and ship agencies, as follows: Vuccitro t Boscoff,Fraissinet, and Soci|tt FranEaise de Nnaigation Dantrbienne

- founded in

Paris in 1920 and active in Brdila one year later. During the 1920-1940period, both Vuccino and Boscoff were involved in disputes with theport workers' trade unions. In 1923, Vuccino donated 1,250 lei to thePetre Annencea Library in Briila for the acquisition of foreign bookstranslated into Romanianra. Archival data reveals that in March 1940,Michel Boscoff was unmarriedrs. Studies commissioned after 1990,which coincide with the revival of French interest in the Lower Danubearea, also make references to the history of French navigation companiesin the aforementioned regionr6.

The Boscoff and Vuccino families exerted significant influenceover the grain trade on the maritime Danube. By means of their direct

12 Maria Sloica, Brdiln. Memoria oraguhri. hnaginea unui orng rominesc din secolul nl XIX-len,Istros Press - Museum of Briila, Briila, 2009, p.563.13 See Ana-MariaYele, op. cit., p. 1.54 and AnuaruI Brdilei 7913, Brlila, 1913, p. 99.14

"ln addition, it is my honor to attach the sum of 1,250 (one thousand two hundred andfifty) lei, which Jacques Vuccino requested that I forward to you as a donation. The fundsshall be used to purchase the best available Romanian translations of Latiry French, andItalian classics for the library under your leadership. Following the purchase, we wouldlike to ask that the list of books be forwarded to Mr. Vuccino." In SJAN Brllla, Prinfiianunicipiului Brriila Collection, file no. 2911923, f . 1.1, apud. Brdila fle de istorie. Documenteprioind istoria orngului L919-1940, vol. Il, Bucharesl,'1989, p.172.t5 SJAN B& Pre.fectura judelului Brdila Collection, file no.50/1940, f. 8.16 The document in question is dated June 1, 1990 and includes a report on navigation onthe Rhine-Main-Danube route. The report was prepared by the Conseil Genernl iles Pontset Chaussees for the French Ministry of Transportation and Commerce.See http://temis.documer00487491 74978. pdf. (accessed September 20,201'2) .

478 479

involvement in the affairs of the Commercial Arbitrage Court andthanks to the vice-consular positions they occupied and to the navigationcompanies and commercial agencies they owned, the two families wereable to control, at least in the 1920s, the extent of the grain trade, theamounts allocated to grain acquisition, and the port workers' wage rates.As previous sfudies have shown, Romanian grain exports to Westemmarkets declined considerably during the interwar period, and wereaccompanied by increased levels of dissatisfaction among the work{orcedue to frequent legislative changes and numerous strikes. The majorityof disputes between business owners and trade unions mention thenames of these two families, who were often able to secure favorableresolutions, unlike the Greeks, Romanians, and Italians involved in portoperafions17.

After the First World War, the position of Vice-Consul of GreatBritain in Briila was filled by Mr. Mariotti. Mariotti made headlines in1923, following a public scandal in which he was irnplicated along withhis wife. Local archival sources reveal that during the month of February7923, the British attachd's wife fell victim to a robbery. On February 8,1923, at around 9 o'clock, Mrs. Mariotti was robbed of 800 lei while shewas retuming from the market place. According to the diplomaticattach6's statement, the theft occurred on the heels of a failed attempt,which had taken place on February 3 of the same year. As a result ofthese events, the number of guards patrolling Briila's central streets wasincreasedrs.

]ack Corbu succeeded Hugh William Border in August 1925. Heheld secondary positions with the local consular corPs, was a member ofthe Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland, and served as

17 Further information regarding this section may be found in SJAN B& Ins\tectoratttlRegional aI Muncii Brdiln Collection, on the basis of which a more detailed study will bepublished at a later time.rs 'J'ai I'honneur de porter i votre connaissance que, en retournait du marchdaujourd'hui, Jeudi, ir 9.15 heures du matin, ma femme a dtd attaquee par deux hommes aucoin de Strada Regali et de Bulevard Carol. Elle avait remarqud qu'elle a 6td poursuiviepar un de ces hommes et, en retournant Pour lui demander de s'6loigner, elle a 6tdfrappde dans le clos par le second qui l'a d6valis6e de son porte-mouraie combinant Lei800.00." See SjAN BR, Prefecturn ludelului Brdila Collection, file no. 8211923' fi.10-12.

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an associate of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in London'Together with Aschbold, he owned a public works consulting comPany

(architects, exPerts, and engineers), located atno'7' C'A' Rosetti St' Heacted as the representatirie of several comPanies: Ltoyd's Regis-tet ofShipping, Registro Nattalo ltnliano, Ametican Bureau of Shipping' and

British

i"rprrr:ri""i"r the Registry of Shipping' Close to the beginning of the FirstWorld War, he muuiei

-Hortensia' a local woman' who had been

previously married in Constantinople' The latter had a son from her first

marriage - Roger Fresco-Corbu, bom on ]uly 22' 1gl2 in Constantinople'who acted in a management capacity in September 1936' when hissteffutner was unable Io

"""'"i'" his functionsle' Jack Corbu was the

author of Chestiunea tnfiinldrei unei linii maritime sub paailion roman lTheIssue of Estabtishing a Romanian Maritime Routel2o' Corbu passed

away on

I,r.," e, 1938, atthe Central Sanatorium in Bucharest' leaving his estate to

his wife. The inheritance proceedings2l were documented in the English

press.William Watson was confirmed as Vice-Consul of Great Britain

in

Brdila on September 4, 1939, following a period during which,BritishinterestswereoverseenbytheBritishattachdinGalafi.Watson,s

re SJAN Brtila, Prefectura luile[ului Btdila Collection' file. no' 30/L936' f' 16'r corbu Jack, Chestiuneo'irfi,4a'"i tmei liaii ^:n"y: sub

pattilion romin' Ateliercle

tipografice ale ziarului Presa-Lucritorii A*^t"lt t311-" lI; (accessedSeptember 19'2012\.zr

"Jack Corbu, Deceased. Pursuant to the Trustee Act' 1925' ALL persons having claims

against the estate of Rot'^J" Engineer (who died at The Cenfial Sanatorium BucharestRoumania on the 6th a"V'J lL" fbSA una of whose English estate letters ofadministration with the Wiit annexea were on the 27th day of April 1939

granted by the

Principal Probate Registry to Midland Bank Executor and Trustee Company Limited as

attorney of Hortense Jack Corbu) are required to send particulars thereof in writing to the

undersigned on or before tne etrr aay ofluly next, after which date the administrator will

proceed to distribute the assets' having regard only to the claims of which the

aclministrators shall then have had notice' Dated 1st day of May 1939' -BADDELEY'WARDLAW and CO., Z, Leadenhall StreeL London, E'C' 3' So[Ators (171) for the

said

Administrator. " lnThe Londort Gazctte'Vray 5'1939'3045' available online at:

http://www.londongazette.co.uMssues/3i522lsupplements/3045/page.pdf (accessed May

75,2072).

residence was located at no. L5, Impdratul Traian St.z Little is knownabout his involvement in Briila's everyday life, since, unlike Jack Corbu,Watson was a career diplomat. William Watson's principal tasks were torelay information about the state of affairs in the Lower Danube regionand to cooperate with his colleagues in Galali and Bucharest.

On April 2, 1,930, Jean Bessize (who is often referred to as Besi)became the Consul of Germany in Briila. During the 1940s, he engagedin both diplomatic and commercial activities, the latter of which hecarried out through the George Bessi

t Fii company. This company actedas the representative of German companies and ship agencies involvedin labor disputes with the local workforce. Documents reveal that JeanBessi requested a number of "privileges" from the local Briilanauthorities regarding the organization of Nazi festivities, and that hesubmitted verification requests conceming the religious affiliation ofseveral German citizens born in Briila. Along with other Germancitizens, Bessi was involved in supervising the transport of Romaniangrain shipments to Germany, as a result of treaties signed before theSecond World War.

One of the most important foreign communities in Brdila duringthe interwar period was the Italian community. After the treaty ofAdrianople, the Kingdom of Sardinia began to explore the possibility ofopening consular missions in the maritime Danube region.

At the beginning of the interwar period, the office of diplomaticattach6 of Italy in Briila was filled by L. Arduni. He was succeeded byAlexandru Gattorno, whose appointment decree was signed onDecember 22, 1922 by King Ferdinand I of Romania, on the basis of theexequatur granted by King Victor Emmanuel III on October 29 of thesame year2a. The Gattorno family owned the Gattorno, S.A.R. navigationcompany, founded in 1857. It was the oldest enterprise of this kindoperating in Brdila and owned capital amounting to 5,00O000 lei.Gattorno, S.z{.R. acted as the representative of the following companies:

2 loan Munteanu, Stradele Brdilei. Documente pentru oiitor, vol. II, Ex Libris Prest Brdil42009,p.1.19.23 lbiilem.21 SJAN BR" Prefectura judelului Bniila Collection, file no. 8211,923, ft. 3-5.

Adriatica S.A. di Naaigazione, Venezia; Compagnia Genoaese di Nattigazione a

Vapore, 5.A., Genova; Lloyd Triestino S'A' di Naaigazione' Trieste; and ltalia'

S.A. di Naaigazione, Genoua2s. This company was involved in labordisputes with port workers (specifically, trimmers and forkliftoperators).

Ancheta, TuesdaY, August 22, 193326

At a later time, the authorities in Rome decided to combine theGalali and Briila diplomatic constituencies, which led to theappointmentofVittorioSegantiasVice-ConsulinBriila2T.Startinginr^sio, thu Vice_Consul of Italy in Briila was vicenzo Gulli. Both segantiand Gulli were involved in the distribution of fascist propaganda arnongBriilan functionaries. In these times of economic recession, their goalwas to popularize Mussolini's Italian model, but also to gain access toRomanian state secrets. In Febru ary of 1933, Vicenzo Gulli wastransferred to Callao, Peru. He was succeeded, for a short period of time'by Sonino, and, until a local replacement could be found' by Dr'

23 Municipi,l Brdila o xxl-a Aclunare Genernld a uniunei oragelor ilin Rominic 29, 30 qi 31octontbie 7937 , BrAila, 1937 , P . 58 .26Top story published inlhe Ancheta newsPaPer, year IV, no. 649, Tuesday, August 22'

1933, p. 1.

" SIA'I{ BR,Prefectura judtlnluiBrdilaCollectioru fileno'3211928't'25'

482 483

Belafronte2s. Belafronte was appointed at the end of August 1933. Theauthor of a news story published in Ancheta fThe lnquierer], a Briilannewspaper/ writes enthusiastically about this appointrnent "HisExcellency's appointment has produced an excellent impression, givenhis popularity among the local Italian community." To this appraisal, headds important details regarding Belafronte's biography and ideologicalleanings: "Dr. Belafronte is part of the youth movement which militatesfor the success and good reputation of Italian Fascism abroad; therefore,his appointment is, without a doubt, a sensible choice.2e" At thebeginning of February 1938, the office of Vice-Consul passed to A.Pancaldi3o. He was succeeded, on February 24 of the same year, byGiuseppe Toffoletto, who filled this office3l until the beginning of thewar.

An apparently insignificant group was the Portuguese community,whose population was considerably smaller than those of the Italian orHellenic communities. Three names appear in conjunction with theleadership of the Portuguese Consulate in Briila: Iosef Goldberg, SpiruValerianos, and Panaghi Theodossatos. One of Br5ila's mayors, NicolaePetrovici, described Iosef Goldberg's contributions to the govemance ofthe city during the Central Power occupation (1916-1913) as invaluable:"In order to ensure the cleanliness of the city and to prevent the spreadof epidemics, especially in anticipation of a warm spring, a drainingcommittee was established and placed under the leadership of IosefGoldberg, who passed away today * a prosperous ]ew and formerbanker unanimously held in the highest esteem.32"

28 See: "Noul consul al Italiei la Brdila," in Anchetn, year IV, no.649, Tuesday, August 22,1933, p. 1.a lltiilent. The identity of the writer is unknowry but his enthusiasm regardingBelafronte's appointment is evident. Belafronte served as one of Mussolini's mostimportant pawns in the Lower Danube region.30 SJAN BR Prefectura juilelului Btdila Collectiory file no. 3211,938, f .7 .3t lhidcnu f.70.32 See Nicolae Petrovici, Brdila sub ocupalie, 23 Decembie 1,916 - 10 Noembre 79'1.8,Tipografia RomAneasci, Briila 1939.

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Spiru Valerianos took over the leadership of the PortugueseConsulate in Briila on fuly 4, 1925, once his exequatur was granted byKing Ferdinand Is.

P. Theodossatos was appointeda on fuly 27, 193'1" In 1940' thePortuguese Consulate was located at no' 54, Galali St' Contemporarydocuments reveal that Theodossatos was not married at the time. In thesummer of 1940, Theodossatos became involved in a diplomatic scandalregarding the issuance of false passports3s' It could be argued that thepo"sition Lf relative neutrality adopted by Salazar's regime and the modeloff"red by Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese Consul inBordeaux during the same Period, provided an impetus to extendPortuguese protection to persons who were seeking refuge outsideRomui.ia, at a time when the Romanian goverrunent's relations with theThird Reich were growing increasingly cordial' Following theseincidents, the affairs of the Brdila Consulate were entmsted to CristopherMacry, the Portuguese Consul in Galafis.

2.ForeignSubiectsinBriilaandTheirRelationswithDiplomaticAttach6s

The Mendl family faced a considerable number of lawsuits' Amemorable case is the 1916 lawsuit brought against Alfredo B. Mendl,Vice-consul of Norway in Briila. on |uly 3,7922, Panait statatos filed ani.qruy with the Briila Prefecture, through which he requested

33 SIAN Br6ila, Prefectura judefutui Brdila collection, hle no.5411925, tt. 63-64.v ldent, file no.5011940, f.8.3s The summer of 1940 was a difficult period for many European countries, given theexpansionist tendencies manifested by Germany and the Soviet Union' Under thesecircumstances, a number of diplomatic attach6s lent to their assistance to certain ethnicgroups, primarily Jews, enabling them to escaPe rePressive measures imposed by thei"*'gorr..*ur,t. Thus, they acted against Nazi interests by issuing PassPorts to*"-i"., of persecuted minorities - in this case, portuguese passports. Itridem, ff.31-32.* Ihiilem. At the beginning of the second world war, Aristides de sousa Mendes servedas Consul of Portugal in France, which was under German occupation at the time'During the French withdrawal, in the spring and summer of 1940' he issued thousands of

false portuguese passports, which facilitated the emigration of the Jewish populationfrom France to poitugal and, later oil, to other countries which had not been affected by

the ravages of war.

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clarifications regarding Alfredo B. Mendl's diplomatic status. statatosintended to Iearn Mendl's status in order to proceed with the eviction ofthe alleged diplomat. According to information possessed by statatos,which he forwarded to the Briila Prefecture, Alfredo B. Mendl was usinga certificate issued by the same Prefecture. The certificate attested that"in March L916, the Ministry of Internal Affairs notified the prefecturethat [Mr. Mendl] had been appointed as Vice-Consul of Norway.3z'since the communiqud in question did not exist anymore, Statatosrequested the following: "the issuance of a certificate which attests thatno other dispatches regarding Mr. Mendl's continued appointment havebeen received since March 1916, and which confirms that the Ministry ofIntemal Affairs' communiqud is no longer on file.38,, panait Statatoswanted the Prefect to request clarifications from the Ministry of ExtemalAffairs "regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Alfredo B.Mendl's status as Vice-Consul of Norway, considering that HisExcelle.rcy, to our knowledge, functions only as honorary Vice-Consul;also, whether Mr. Alfredo B. Mendl has been recognized by the state inquestion as Vice-Consul post-March 1916 [...]; and regarding Mr.Alfredo B. Mendl's exact diplomatic status in accordance withinternational law.3e" Prefect $erban Rdducan filed an inquiry asrequested, with the view to resolving the dispute surrounding Alfredo B.Mendl's building. The address of the building in question is not known,but, according to contemporary documents, Alfredo B. Mendl,s residencewas located at no. 5, Ciliragilor St{.

On July 14 of the same year, the Ministry of Extemal Affairs issuedcommuniqud no. 35014 through which it notified the Briila prefecture ofthe following: "Mr. Alfredo B. Mendl has been operating as Honorary(therefore unsalaried) Vice-consul of Norway in Briila since February25, 1916, when his exequatur was signed by His Majesty the King. Sincethery he has continued to function in this capacity, which does not

37 SJAN Brdila, Prefecturn juilelultti Btdila Collectiory hle no.117/1,922, f .29.s lbiilem.ie lbiiknt.{ The address is recorded in Anunrul General nl oraytlui gi judelului Brdita,1922, EdituraMarea Fabrici "Ancora," Briila, 1,922.

require additional confirmation or the renewal of his exequatur,ar,, As aresult, the Administrative service of the Brdila prefecture issuedr,acertificate which would have enabled Panait statatos to proceed with hiseviction case. According to the diplomatic regulations of the timi,Alfredo B. Mendl, who served as honorary, unsalaried Vice-Consul, wasnot entitled to an official residence provided by the Romanian state.

The Italian Consulate in Briila, at the time under the leadership ofship-owner Alexandru Gattorno, was also involved in a legal matterregarding one of its subjects. Ckiem Giuseppe, Italian subjecf becameinvoluntarily embroiled in a conflict with the commander of theGendarmerie Post in the Briilila commune. The Italian Consul notifiedthe Briila Prefecture, through communiqu 6 no. 3U511923, that the Italiansubject in question had been summoned to the Commander's office,where he was physically assaulted before being released42. on |une 4,1923, the Prefect of BrSila requested that the Pretor'- of the silistraruPlasa-'- investigate the events reported by the Italian Consul; the requestwas repeated on June 8 of the same yeara3. The Silistraru Pretor's answershed new light on the events. His investigation revealed that the Italiansubject was encountered by Lieutenant I. Ridulescu on May 30, at 12a.m., in front of the Gendarmerie building. With a gendarme'sassistance, the lieutenant escorted the Italian citizen inside theGendarmerie and requested to see his PaPers. After the man providedidentification, he was released. No acts of violence were committed4.

The authenticity of C. Giuseppe's statement cannot be verified, inthe absence of witnesses. However, his statement reveals that he was anemployee of the Societatea Ftanco Romfrnd ITht French-Romaninn

11 SJAN BR, Prefectwa jille[ului Brdila Collection, file no' 117 17922, t' 34'a2 lilem, file no.8211923, f .51." Translator's note: the administrative head of a plasa.-'Translator's note: territorial division of Romani4 ranking below county, but abovecommune. The division of counties into pligi was practiced during the reign of Carol I,throughout the existence of the Romanian kingdom, and during the first two years of theCommunist era.a3 lbidenr, ft.52-53.s lhitlem, 1.58.

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I

486 487

Company\as. Following the investigation carried out by the localauthorities, it was found that "on the night of May 30, around 12 a.m.,while on his way home, Lieutenant L Ridulescu, Commander of theBriiliga Gendarmerie Post, saw a man leaning against the fence of theGendarmerie building. The man appeared to be hiding and did notanswer the Lieutenant's questions. Therefore, the Lieutenant called agendarme and took the man in custody. After checking the authenticityof the man's documents and advising him to stop wandering through thevillage at night, the Lieutenant released him without further action.6"

On September 10 of the year, the Italian Consul in BriilaAlexandru Gattomo, forwarded Silvio Tomasich's complaint to the localauthorities. In his complaint, Tomasich stated that he was physicallyassaulted by a gendarme while waiting for the tram on Regali St. withseveral friendsaT. The Briila Prefecture requested that the Gendarmerieinvestigate the Tomasich case. Captain Gherghescu, Commander of the2nd Gendarme Battalioo stated that three individuals had been seenurinating in public in front of the Gendarmerie. "While we wereadmonishing them for engaging in such improper behavior, one of theindividuals, namely Fortunescu Iory answered impertinently, for whichhe was reprirnanded. The other two left immediately.n' After a fbwminutes, "while waiting for the tram on Regali St. corner with Grivila[...] Captain Gherghescu heard Italian subject Silvio Tomasich swearingand telling Fortunescu to file a complaint. As a result, [Tomasich] wasescorted to the Gendarmerie, where his statement was taken with a viewto filing charges for public disturbance and verbal abuse. A copy of thestatement is enclosed. He was then immediately released, without beingassaulted or taken into custody. t...1 If the Italian subject Silvio Tomasichdoes not apologize for his behavior, he will be sued 1..'7.nt' TheGendarmerie building was located 50 yards from the place where thethree individuals were urinating. At the end of the month, the Consulate

as lbiilem, f .59.x lbidem.a7 lbidem,tt.7G77.a8 lbidem, f .75.1e lhiilem.

488489

ttot"urr"ur" kinds of incidents' like the aforementioned complaint

regarding the abuse of po*"t exerted by,the local authorities against

certain foreign titi'""',t *"'" "o**on -

during this period' Causes

include precarious "d"utiott'

context' and en"i'lnment' such as Briila's

emerging industrial zones' The socio-economic changes which occurred

during the interwar p"tt"i transformed fishermen and port workers into

si*i: iuu-"", "t"pioy""'

of the newly opened factories'

Maximilian Koi *u' an Austrian citizen who' in 7923' was

working as a dental t;h;* in Dr' Leo Balter's medical office in Briila'

According,o u "o*t"iq"6

issued-by the Austrian Consulate in Gala$

on October 6, lgzS,Maximilian Bloch presented himself to the Consulate

on this date, "with O"*n*t no' Z0gi0 and free Passage document no'

4947 issuedo,t S"pt""'Uu" \3' 1g23by the BrXiIa Safety Brigade' in order

to report that he h"';; threatened with expulsion from Romania by

Dr. Leo Balter'5o" fn""*'on why "Leo Balter has resorted to this threat

is related to a dispute between the owner of the medical office and the

dentar technician, Maximilian Koch, who, for various reasons' cannot

continue rri, u"tproyJ"Ii; Mt' Leo Balter's office and wishes to seek

employment with another dentist in Briila' one of Dr' Balter's

competitors.sl" The ;;; tt:t *.-tala!i' Michel A1$"t' requested

that the Briila Prefecture carry out an investigation itt Tt case and that

Koch not U" a"tui''"J until" Dr' Balte/s vfrsio" had been officially

confirmed. Following its investigation' of October 23 the Briila Police

Prefecture ,""t tft" i3fi"*i"g rJport to Briilan authorities and to the

AustrianConsulatei''CutuElfthasbeenestablishedthatDr'LeoBaltersigned a contract in Ui"""" with the plaintiff' Macsimilian

Koch' The

terms of trus contract stated that at the end of his employment' lKoch]

must leave the country' [Dr' Balter] hllnothing against the plaintiff and

may not tuke measu'J" ugui't't him After uU' L u foreign subject' Koch

has an individual rn" *tir, the locar safety Brigade, no-. ala7,.lnd a free

Passage dot"*""t *itt' tf'" 'u*" "'''*b"' iss'iea on the basis of Safety

received a copy of the Briila Gendarmerie's report and the case was

e lhiclem, f .8O'sl Ibidem.

Iand Police Directorate order no. 66107 from september 1,1,923, which isvalid until December 2, 1.923 1.. .l.ur"

Another interesting incident took place on January 3, 1g2s. on thisdate, the Greek Consul in Briila sent a communiqu6 to the BreilaPrefecture (no. 1139/1,925), through which he notified local authoritiesabout an incident which had taken place earlier that days3. According tothe Greek diplomat's statement, a certain Dennis Milliaresis, son ofspyridon Milliaresis, had caused a disturbance in the consular building.Having presented himself to the Consulate to request a certificate,Dennis Milliaresis had become displeased with the length of the waitingtime and started acting unruly. The Consul felt the need to interveneand had Milliaresis removed from the building. The report confirmedthe fact that this was not the first time when Milliaresis had displayedthis kind of behavior, and requested that the young man be ctoselymonitored in order to avoid future incidents. As a resulf the prefect ofBriila issued a clear response, requesting that the Briila police prefecturetake "immediate measures against this individual to prevent futureincidents.il" The Brdila Police prefecture ensured that Milliargsisregretted his behavior, according to the following communiqu6, seni tothe Prefecture on January 22, 192s: "the aforementioned Miliaresis wascalled in and told in no uncertain terms to never repeat the sort ofbehavior he had displayed at the Consulate.ss" At the end of Januar/, theresults of the investigation were forwarded to the Greek Consulate. ThePrefect of Briila, Ignat, asked the Greek Consul to notify him ,,if theaforementioned gentleman engages in improper behavior ever again.F^6,,

On July 13, 1925, Greek citizen Georges panaghi Kavopoulos wasarrested "for not having completed his military service in Romania. Theaforementioned individual allegedly possesses a certificate whichauthenticates his status as a Greek national and affirms that he hasfulfilled his military service in Greece.sz" The Briila prefectures2 lbidem, f .88.s SJAN BR, Prefectura judelului Brdila Collectiory file no. 6g11925, f.J.s lhident, f.4.5s lbidem, f .9.$ lbiiLem, f .10.37 lbidem, t.55.

exchanged several letters with local military authorities regarding this.ur". .i..ording to the Greek Consul, "the military authorities in Brdilaproceeded witil tLe arrest of Mr' [redacted]' aged 26' using thej'ustification that this young man had not completed his milt-tay servicein Romania. Whereas, Mr' [redacted] has been provided with acertificate which confirms his rights as a Greek citizen and affirms that he

has fulfilled his military service in Greece'58" The young man's case was

supported by a telegram sent by the Greek Arsenal to the GreekConsulate in Briila, whose contents were reproduced in the-Consul'sreport: "Finally, the Greek Arsenal Directorate has notified the Consulate

viu tel"g.um no' 1'11'.598, dated April 15' that Mr' [redacted] is a memberof the Hellenic Navy's Military Reserves'se" As a result' the GieekConsulrequestedthatthePrefectofBriilaintervene"withthemilitaryrecruitment authorities in Briila to secure the release of Greek national

[redacted], considering that the young man in question is' undeniably' a

Greek subject.6o"Poverty continued to plague the Balkan region during the interlvar

period. Romania's flourishing economy during this time enticednumerous young men from other Balkan states to seek their fortunewithinitsborders'

-^^^ ^rr--.;l E{rnrn ; sucri,Such was the case of Ismail Harun Behlul' also known asaged'23.IsmailBehlulwasbominlstanbulandhadbeenresidin$,sinceMarch 1925, atsuleiman Efendi's caf6 in Briila' The young man workedin a local cement factory' The Turkish Consulate in Bucharest solicitedinformation about Ismail Behlul at the request of his father' who wasworried about the young man's whereaboutssl' On August 19' 1927' t}lre

safety service in greila flrwarded its report to the Briila Prefecture. The

,"por, stated that "following investigations carried out at the addressesindicated in your Order aJ after making inquiries with all local cafd

$ Ibidem, f.68.5e See additional data in lbidcnr'& lbiilem.5TSJAN BR,Pre.fecturajudeluluiBrditaCollectioryfileno'341i1927'tf'33-32'

490 49'.L

II

1I

1

:lIowners and Turkish subjects, we concrude that ISMAIL HARUM

BEHLUL, called SUCR! is not known.62,,Briila's foreign residents were not arways above crime. one such

case, dating back to the summer of 1927, involved a Greek nationar. TheGreek Consulate in Briila notified Briilan authorities of Constantin chr.Joanu's murder and requested a thorough investigationos. The personwho reported the crime was another Greek citizen, Dumitru Vas. Manta,domiciled at no. 2, Hepites st. The victim, "originally from Greece, hadentered upon arrival the service of Mr. stoica Drigan, Romanian citizerLcheese vendor in Piala Regali [The Royal Market], who had sent him tomind his sheepfold in the Batogu Village.en" Manta's statement alsorevealed that "Const. Chr. Joanu, a Greek citizen, was found dead onJuly 18 of the current year in the aforementioned village [Batogu],presenting three stab wounds in the abdominal region, u,

"rtubrirh"d utthe hospital in Gara Dudegti, where his body had been taken.6s,, TheGreek Consulate in Briila asked to be notified about the results of theinvestigation. The investigation revealed that "the Commander of theGendarmerie Post in Batogu was notified [...]" and discovered that ,,anindividual by the name of Constantin Hadjian was found drowned in theCdlmifui Creek.66"

On September 1,, 1.927, the General Consulate of the Kingdom ofserbia, croatia, and slovenia in Bucharest sent a communiqud to Briilanauthorities, requesting information about Alexa Vasiljevici-Matici. Thelatter "had left his family in Turkana, Serbia, in order to seekemployment in our country. His wife, Suzana, and daughter, Vaska,have filed two complaints with the aforementioned Consulate indicatingthat the above individual had abandoned his famiry, Ieaving them

62 According to the communiqud sent by the Briila special safety service to the BriilaPrefecture on August 19, 1927, in Ibidtm, t. 42.63 lbiilem, f.34.s See lbiilem.5s lbiilem.6 The document was issued by the General Administration service of the BriilaPrefecture on september ,'r, 1g2z. The numerous corrections sugtest that the victim wasanother shepherd working at the same sheepfold, and not tir" Cior citizen in question.lbiilem, t.51,.

without means of subsistence.6T" The Briilan authorities requested thatthe notary of the lnsurilei Commune investigate this case. The results ofthis investigation are unknown.

Several of Briila's residents were involved in the default of theHellenic-Romanian Bank, which took place n 1,927. On September 17,'1,927, the President of the Hellenic-Romanian Bank, Nicolae Anninos,was found shot inside the bank. Anninos had been President for a yearbefore this incidenfs. According to information possessed by the BrdilaPrefecture in April 1927, "the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs hadappointed Mr. Andrei Draculis as Deputy Extraordinaire of thisConsulate [the Greek Consulate in Briila].6r" On October 20, theRomanian Ministry of Intemal Affairs notified the Briilan authoritiesthat Michel Sakellariadis had been appointed Consul of Greece in Briila,in the place of D. Iglessis. The Hellenic-Romanian Bank declaredbankruptcy one day later, when Sakellariadis had already beenappointed Consul. Draculis' arrest took place on October 1.9, when theGreek attach6 in Briila was supposedly SakellariadisTo, a discrepancywhich was noted by the Romanian Ministry of Extemal Affairs onDecember 28, 1927. The document also indicates that at the time oiDraculis' arrest, the Briila Courthouse did not make any references to hisposition as Greek Consul.

One thing is certain: at the time of his arrest, Draculis was able toexercise the privileges of his position as Greek Consul withoutimpediment. The default of the Hellenic-Romanian Bank wassurrounded by great controversy at the time. It appears that Draculis'

67 The information above was forwarded on Septembet 6, 1927 by the GeneralAdministration Service of the Briila Prefecture to the notaty of the insurilei Commune,and is based on data provided by the Yugoslavian Consulate in Bucharest on September1 of the same year. See lbiilem, t. 46.68 Nicolae Anninos belonged to a family of ship-owners and grain merchants whooperated in the Galali and Briila harbors. He is known in connection with the first civilflight on the Bucharest- Galali route. For additional details regarding Nicolae Anninotsee

http://www.adevarul.rolactualitate/?ovestea_primului_pasager_oficial_pe_o_cursa_aeriana_romaneasca_0_518538413.htrnls (accessed October 6, 2012).6' SJAN BR, Pre.fectura jud.elului Brdiln Collectiorl file no. 34U1927, I. 59.n Se lbiilem.

492 493

Iappointment as substitute consul n 1927 was orchestrated by the samecircle which had arranged Nicolae Anninos' placement at the bank, andwhich ensured that the latter would blindly sig.r paperwork which hedid not understand

- actions which drove the bank into default and

caused Anninos' subsequent suicide.Another incident involving a Greek subject and a local police

officer took place in october 192g. Constantin skambavias filed acomplaint with the Greek consulate, in which he stated that after beingsummoned to the Police Prefecture in Briila to be questioned about adifferent affair, he was physically assaulted by ,,bommissary Migustoenescu, who had struck him with a bullwhip and his fists; as a result,[Constantin skambavias] sustained injuries attested by a medicalcertificate" presented to the Greek consulTr. on December 3, 192g, theGreek Consulate in Briila received the response of the Brdila safetyservice regarding the skambavias vs. Commissary stoenescu case. Thereport was forwarded to the Constanla Safety InspectorateT2.

From 1830 and until the institution of the communist regime inRomania, Briila served as a haven for a rarge number of foreign .itir".,r.whether they were merchants or day laborers, honest citizens tr bandits,members of the financial elite or paupers, they lived amongst theRomanian majority and left an indelible mark upon their aloptivesociety. This paper presents a few previousry unexplored aspects of theirlives and attempts to shed additional light on the interacti,ons betweenRomanians and the Greeks, |ews, and Italians who settled in the city ofBriila. All of them hoped to find a Danubian ,,EI Dorado,,, but manyended up spending their lives as manual laborers in Briila,s bustringharbor.

z SJAN BR, Prefectura judelului Brdila Collection, file no. 32/1928, t.70.72 since the report could not be located, we will only mention that the investigation ledthe Briila safety service to request that an analysis be carried out by their sulperiors inconstanla and possible sanctions suggested. The guilty party, as estabtished by ttreBriila safety service, appears to have been commissary stoenescu. Ibiitem, f . g9-90.

Bibliography

Archival Sources:Serviciul Judelean al Arhivelor Najionale Brdila.Coleclia Agenlii de vapoare Briila.Fond Inspectoratul Regional al Muncii Briila.Fond Prefectura iudelului Briila.Document Collections:MOCIOIU, Nicolae; BOUNEGRU Stanca, IAVORSCHI Gheorghe and VIDIS Gabriela;Brdiln fle rle istorie. Documente piaind istoia orapului 1919-1940, vol. II, Bucharest, 1989.

Periodicals:Anchetn, year IV, no. 649, Tuesday, August 22,1,933.Anuarul Brdilei 19L3 , Btdila, 1,913 .AnuaruI General al oragului gi jude[ului Brdila, 1922, Editura Marea Fabrici "Ancora,"Brlfla,1922.Municipiul Brdila a XXI-a Adunnre Genernld a uniunei oragelor tlin Romhnia 29, 30 gi 31octombrie 1937, Brlila,1937 .UtU,fufESCU, Gh; Populalia Bfiilei stucliu de demogrnfw clinamicd gi statistisd, in"Analele Briilel" , lV, 1932, p. 106-737 .VELE, Ana-Maria, Reprezentarea iliplomaticd a Frnnlei in Rominia (1856-1,914), in"Anuarul Institutului de Istorie "G. Bariliu" din CluiNapoca", tom. XLVII, 2008.

General Works:MUNTEANU, loan; Strndele Bfiilei. Documente pentru oiitor, vol. II, Ex Libris Press,Brdila,2009.PETROVICI, Nicolae; Brdila sub ocupnlie, 23 Decenfuie 191.6 - 10 Noembre 'L918,Tipografia RomAneasci, Briila 1939.STOICA, Maria; Brdila. Memoia orngului.Imaginen unui orag rominesc tlin secolul nl XIX-lea, Istros Press

- Museum of Briila, Briila, 2009.

Online sources:http://www.romanianiewish.ors/rolmosteniri ale culturii iudaice 03 11 l2.html(accessed September 20, 2012).http://temis.documentation.equipement.gouv.frldocumentsffemis/0048/Temis-00487 49 ll 497 8.odf (accessed Seotember 20. 201 2).http://www.biblacad.ro/bnr/brmautori.php?aut=c&paee=1 800&l imiF20(accessed September 1^9, 201,2).

The London Gazette,May 5,1.939,3045, available online at:http://www.londongazette.co.uk/issues/34622lsupplements/3045/page.pdf(accessed May 15, 2012).http://www.adevarul.rolaetualitatelPovestea primului pasaser oficial oe o cursa aeriana romaneasca 0 618538413.htm1#(accessed October 6 2012).http://www.movinghere.org.uk (accessed October 07, 2012).

494 495

z According to Ofciul Stdii Ciz:ile ile pe lhngi Pimdria Brfiita din 1932, in Gh' Mihiilescu'populnlin nia*; ,t ai, de dentografie di)nmici gi statisticd, in Analele Brdilei,IY , '1-932' p.

'l'06- ,

137. The numbers u." uppriri*"te and the most frequent values are 400 and 1,000residents. Austrian residents were counted as either German or Jewish'

APPENDICES

Table 7

Data regarding the foreign population of the city of Briila in the year 1932n

Nr. Nationality Number of residents (1932)1 Romanian 47,000 (660/")2. Iewish 12,000J. Greek 5,0004 Bulgarian 4005. Hunqarian 1,0006. Austrian 0

German 400

8. Yusoslavian 400

9. Turkish 40010. Armenian 400

l1 Polish 400

t2. Czechoslovakian 40013. Russian 400

14 Italian c. 1,000

15. French c. 1,000

t6. British c. 1,0O017. Swiss c. 1,000

18. Belgian c. 1,00079. Albanian c. 1,00020. Persian c. 1,000

Total number of foreignresidents:

22,20O (34"/"1

Total number of residents: 69,2N

APPendix 1

Certificate issued by the Brdila Countv Courthouse Registry'

section II, no. 36'351 oi Notl"*U" t 6' !g33' attesting the citizenshiP and

religious affiliation 9t 'h"

Cot"'l of Czechoslovaki; in Briila' HeinerichBraun, and of ti' tut"ir|'Ii'tti* .o """ule the latter to preserve the;;;tiiP of his privateiy-owned shipping office'

The undersigned Clerk [of the Briila- Countv Courthouse] attestsand certifies thut tt"o"!li6;;"; tf \1q1{1'ation no' 19' issued

bv the

aforementioned Court 3n f"i"'u'y 21'' 1979' Romanian citizenship has

been granted to rur,' Hejrur;;b" k;*" as HEINERICH BRAUN ' age:45'

rerieion: iewish, uo^-ir,-nraila in May of 1g74, profession: business

o*i"r, domiciled i" ;;il";-;'ni' z+' carol Blvd'' io his wife FEIGHE'

also known ",

reriv sileuN' n6e GRUNBERG' as well as to hischildren, Marcel, age:12'and Leontin a' ageiT'

with the same domicile'

Source: SJAN BR, Colec[ia Agen[ii de uapoare Brdila' flle no' 1711933' f ' 3'

APPendix 2

Certificate issued by the Briila Countv Courthouse Registry'section II, on Decemi

"' it' iSgS'containing information about Heinerich

Braun's Private comPany'

The undersigned Clerk [of the Briila County Courthouse-] attests

and certifies that the Register of Privatelv-Owned Companies of the

aforementioned Court inc-rudes an entry, recorded on June 11', 1'913'

under no. 1,08, for ;;;;t;;-l{-9.y":9 shipping office "HEINERICHgReUN,'based in Brdila' on Misitiilor 5t'

-

In witness thereof' this certificate is issued to serve and be used

for atl legal PurPoses'

Clerk of the Court: N' Agape For conformity (ss): P' Adjudeanu

The Customs Office of the Clty of Briila

Source: SIAN B& Coleclia Agenlii de uapoate Brdila' fi\e no"I711933' f ' 1"

496497

lAppendix 3

Heinerich Braun,s certificate of military service, issued by theBriila Recruitment Office on November e, 1SSS.Brdila Recruitment Office

Certificate

In response to the petition registered under no. Ig92911933, theCommander of the Bri'a Recruitmeit office attests and certifies thatSergeant Haim Brauraroremention"r,.*{ili":H::*.ilffi:il:;;ff ffii#T:. ji;acquired during the 191,6/19Ig campaign.

1-916, Arg. 15 -

drafted ;nd assigned to the FinancialAdministration divisio' between October I,19l6and October 6, 1976October 9_10, 1916 _ November t, tgt6_ Bilcescu HospitaLNovember 21,7916_ assigned to the Militia Battalion,r,,nrf.u,

15, 191.8 _ dismissed and discharged on this day, no.

In witness thereof, this certificate is issued to serve and befor all legal purposes.

Commander of the Brdila Recruitment OfficeColonel [illegible]No.18929November 6, Lg33

Source: SIAN BR, Coleclia Agen[ii de uapoare Brdila, file no. 77/1933,

used

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ionel CAndea, Brdila -

A Multicultural City'...."'......'." 5CameliaHristian,... Greeks, lans,LipouanRussians,Turks- Brdila.'..,'.,..'..'...'..... 9

GREEKS IN BRAILAHaralambie Caravia, AII Roads kad to Brdila 27ZamfirBdlan, Panait lstrati 25Zamfir Bilary Perpessicius Dumitru Panaitescu 33lnteruiews (Questionnaire, selectiory and synthesis - Camelia Hristian /

Greek Translation -

Marica Saridache)-...... 41TURKS IN BRAILA

Ionel CAndea, Archacological, Archioal, and Anthropological Data Regarding thePopulation of the City of Brdita During tlrc Ottoman Occupation (1538 - 1828) ....... 725Ionel CAndea, Historical Plans of tlrc City of Brdila 0790; 1830)' Russians, Turks,andAustriansinBrdila......... 749Ionel CAndea, ln Search of Brdila's Ancient Tunnels. New Facts.... ' '. 159Interoiews (Questionnaire, selection, and synthesis - Camelia Hristian). .. . . . .. ... 769

JEWS IN BRAILAGhena Pricop, The Jewish Community of Brdila 0.830-1940). Public Companies,Priaately-Ownetl Businesses, Emb1ems........... 213GhenaPricop, Contributionsof thelewishCommunitytoBrdila'sCulturalLife..,.. 235Major fgures of The lewish Comrnunity Of Briila (Selection and synthesis -

Ghena Pricop) 249lnteruiew with Mr. Silo Oberman (Questionnaire and selection - Ghena Pricop

/ Video - Gabriel Stoica) ............ 253ZamfirBdlan, Mihail Sebastian (losef Hechter) 265Interuiews (Questionnaire, selection, snd synthesis - Camelia Hristian) ........... 275

LIPOVAN RUSSIANS IN BRAILAGabriela Cloqc6, Brdila's Lipoaan Russian Cornmunity. Historical and culturalcontexts............ 357lnteruiews (Questionnaire

- Camelia Hristian, Selection and synthesis -

Evdochia Smaznov and Camelia Hristian) 371'WINNER OF THE'DISCOVER MULTICULTURAL BRAILA"

COMPETTTIONCristian Constantin, Brdila's Ethnic Comrnunities - A European Alfair (191'9 -1.940) ...............

498

f. 5.

475