Iași Pogrom Survivor Recounts Horrors: 'I saw a pile of corpses'

Lyonell Fliss, 91, is one of the few survivors of the Iași pogrom, a massacre of Jews that occurred 85 years ago. In an interview with "Weekend Adevărul," he recalled the horrific moments he experienced as a 6-year-old boy and his life as a Jew in communist Romania before fleeing to South Africa.

Fliss described his childhood in Iași, where he lived with his parents. He noted that the city was a major Romanian university center, but its student body was ultra-nationalist and antisemitic. Many students and some faculty members affiliated with the fascist Legionary Movement, engaging in violence against Jewish students.

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It's a pogrom!

His parents grew increasingly worried about the rising antisemitism, especially after German troops entered the city in June 1941. Young Lyonell, however, was initially impressed by the appearance and discipline of the German soldiers.

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I hid under the bed... I wasn't supposed to talk, sneeze, or cough, and I wasn't supposed to move.

On the morning of June 29, 1941, the family was awakened by gunshots, screams, and cries. His mother immediately recognized the situation, exclaiming, "It's a pogrom!" Though he didn't understand the word, he sensed the danger. His mother instructed them to hide under their bedroom bed, warning him to remain silent and still.

Soon, they heard loud banging on their apartment door. The building's caretaker, Enache, demanded they open up. When they didn't, he returned with an ax, broke down the door, and entered, cursing and searching for them. While they trembled under the bed, Enache looted their home before leaving with a bundle made from their bedspread.

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He started cursing and threatening, then left to return with an ax with which he broke down the door and entered the apartment cursing that he didn't see us.