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I think it was on 27th October 1945 that Gaby, my first-degree cousin, received a telegram from his parents. They told him they had managed to get his repatriation approved and secured him a ticket aboard the ‘Transilvania.’ The ship, which was carrying Jewish emigrants from Romania, was to lay anchor in Haifa on Wednesday, 28th October. Gaby was tremendously happy. I’ve already mentioned that I felt devastated. In that moment I realized that this is what I wanted for myself too. A few hours later I went to work, to Rina’s, and I found her with a long face. She gave me a hug and… told me that my uncle in Tel Aviv had called. He asked her to tell me to contact him as soon as possible, because… there was a telegram from my parents! He had also told her what it read: ‘Transilvania arrive jeudi Haifa. Passage retour paye, t’attendons!’ [French: ‘[The] Transilvania arriving Haifa Thursday. Return ticket paid. Waiting for you!’] My feet became numb with excitement. I started to cry. I was crying because I was happy, but also because I had to part with people I loved…
I had no idea what went on back home. My parents’ letters were affectionate, but vague. At only 19 years old and lacking basic political training and culture, I put my feelings first, not my reason… Since we’re at it, I can’t help mentioning the captain of the ‘Transilvania’, Commander Maugus. On 30th October 1945, the moment I boarded his ship, which was at anchor in Haifa harbor, he asked me a few routine questions about the ticket, the passport and the likes, and then he inquired, ‘Where are you going, young man?’ I gave him the conventional answer, ‘I’m going home, Commander,’ to which he retorted – and I can still hear his words today – ‘Home you say, Sir? Don’t you know what’s going on at «home»? The Russians are there and Communism is kicking in!’
We were assigned to 3rd class quarters. At the embarkation, we were told that the captain had received a radiogram informing him that the ship would be rerouted. Instead of heading straight back to Constanta, he had to do a sort of ‘tour’ of the Mediterranean in order to pick up Romanian refugees returning from Portugal, Spain, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey. As a result, the journey’s duration would extend from two to three days to a few weeks, and we would have to pay for our meals. The ‘Transilvania’ had a restaurant, or maybe a bar, which had a platform designed for the orchestra in the middle. On it stood a beautiful [Welte-]Mignon cottage piano like I had never seen before. With the captain’s approval, I tried it the very first day. It sounded wonderful. The effect on the captain was instantaneous. From that moment until towards the end of the cruise, when the ship got crowded, the captain had me as a permanent guest at his table!
After six days at sea, in which we seldom saw the land, we laid anchor in Barcelona. As soon as the ship was moored, the quay filled with Spanish soldiers with their bayonets fixed. After lengthy negotiations, the only one who was allowed to disembark in order to arrange for the ship to be supplied with water and take care of other emergencies was Commander Maugus. I soon found out that the ship and its passengers were Communists to the eyes of the Spaniards! At first, this amused me, then it filled me with indignation; eventually, I began to get used to this new position and to resign myself.
The following day we stopped in Marseilles. Things were different here. The frontier authorities came aboard and informed us that during the ship’s stay in the harbor, we were free to get off and go wherever we felt like… I was struck by the stir on the quays. I soon found out that German prisoners were working to rebuild the harbor’s installations. We felt neither hatred, nor compassion for them. We felt nothing. A storm at sea caused the ship to leave Marseilles six days after its arrival; we had been scheduled to linger for only two days. The passengers who boarded the ship in the French harbor included Romanian diplomats from France and England, as well as a part of the BBC’s Romanian staff.
Two days later we reached Naples. We weren’t allowed to disembark there. We were to take in new passengers by the hundreds. I remember the stir of authorities, luggage, and smugglers who dealt with all sorts of liquors and cigarettes. The ship filled with refugees, many of whom had been liberated from German camps. We reached Istanbul on 20th November. We only stayed for a couple of hours. Among the few passengers who boarded – six or so – were my cousin, Paula Dragusanu [nee Feldman], her husband Silviu, and their son Miky, aged one year and four months. They had left Palestine a few months before and were waiting to be repatriated from Turkey. That same night the ship set off. The following day, on 21st November 1945, we reached Constanta.
I had no idea what went on back home. My parents’ letters were affectionate, but vague. At only 19 years old and lacking basic political training and culture, I put my feelings first, not my reason… Since we’re at it, I can’t help mentioning the captain of the ‘Transilvania’, Commander Maugus. On 30th October 1945, the moment I boarded his ship, which was at anchor in Haifa harbor, he asked me a few routine questions about the ticket, the passport and the likes, and then he inquired, ‘Where are you going, young man?’ I gave him the conventional answer, ‘I’m going home, Commander,’ to which he retorted – and I can still hear his words today – ‘Home you say, Sir? Don’t you know what’s going on at «home»? The Russians are there and Communism is kicking in!’
We were assigned to 3rd class quarters. At the embarkation, we were told that the captain had received a radiogram informing him that the ship would be rerouted. Instead of heading straight back to Constanta, he had to do a sort of ‘tour’ of the Mediterranean in order to pick up Romanian refugees returning from Portugal, Spain, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey. As a result, the journey’s duration would extend from two to three days to a few weeks, and we would have to pay for our meals. The ‘Transilvania’ had a restaurant, or maybe a bar, which had a platform designed for the orchestra in the middle. On it stood a beautiful [Welte-]Mignon cottage piano like I had never seen before. With the captain’s approval, I tried it the very first day. It sounded wonderful. The effect on the captain was instantaneous. From that moment until towards the end of the cruise, when the ship got crowded, the captain had me as a permanent guest at his table!
After six days at sea, in which we seldom saw the land, we laid anchor in Barcelona. As soon as the ship was moored, the quay filled with Spanish soldiers with their bayonets fixed. After lengthy negotiations, the only one who was allowed to disembark in order to arrange for the ship to be supplied with water and take care of other emergencies was Commander Maugus. I soon found out that the ship and its passengers were Communists to the eyes of the Spaniards! At first, this amused me, then it filled me with indignation; eventually, I began to get used to this new position and to resign myself.
The following day we stopped in Marseilles. Things were different here. The frontier authorities came aboard and informed us that during the ship’s stay in the harbor, we were free to get off and go wherever we felt like… I was struck by the stir on the quays. I soon found out that German prisoners were working to rebuild the harbor’s installations. We felt neither hatred, nor compassion for them. We felt nothing. A storm at sea caused the ship to leave Marseilles six days after its arrival; we had been scheduled to linger for only two days. The passengers who boarded the ship in the French harbor included Romanian diplomats from France and England, as well as a part of the BBC’s Romanian staff.
Two days later we reached Naples. We weren’t allowed to disembark there. We were to take in new passengers by the hundreds. I remember the stir of authorities, luggage, and smugglers who dealt with all sorts of liquors and cigarettes. The ship filled with refugees, many of whom had been liberated from German camps. We reached Istanbul on 20th November. We only stayed for a couple of hours. Among the few passengers who boarded – six or so – were my cousin, Paula Dragusanu [nee Feldman], her husband Silviu, and their son Miky, aged one year and four months. They had left Palestine a few months before and were waiting to be repatriated from Turkey. That same night the ship set off. The following day, on 21st November 1945, we reached Constanta.
Period
Year
1945
Location
Romania
Interview
Dan Mizrahy