Matatias Carp Collection

Documents and photographs: - summaries and factual reports written by Carp for the *Black Book* - annexes of the *Black Book*, namely: transcriptions of Romanian official documents, documentary photographs of the Iasi and Bucharest pogrom and of the killings in Bessarabia - The three volumes of the *Black Book* published between 1946 and 1948 The materials were identified as being part of Carp's collection in 2023 during the digitizing process. The findings were confirmed by Adrian Cioflanca, Romanian historian and the director of the "Wilhelm Filderman" Center for the Study of Jewish History in Romania (CSIER). Cioflanca identified an additional file from the GFH Archives as part of the Carp's collection, namely: a note of the 89th Infantry Division of the Romanian Army concerning a group of 14 Jews sent to forced labor. The document was published in the Jewish newspaper *Curierul Israelit* on March 18, 1945, and it was in Carp's possession while he was in Bucharest. Most file and photograph descriptions are available online in the Archives section of the GFH website and can be searched in the Archives online catalogue by text elements, keywords, or collection name. All file descriptions are accessible on-site in the GFH Archives Researchers’ Room. **Matatias (Matatiahu) Carp**, son of Horea Carp and Roza Schwartz, was born in 1904 in Bucharest, Romania. His father was a journalist, writer, translator, and a member of the Jewish political organization *Union of Romanian Jews* (Uniunea Evreilor Romani). Between the two World Wars, Horea Carp was a member of the Senate, the upper house of the Romanian Parliament. Matatias Carp received his law degree in 1930 and established a private legal practice in Bucharest in 1932. That same year, he married Ella Cohen. In 1940, he was appointed one of the three chief secretaries of the *Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania* (Federatia Uniunilor de Comunitati Evreiesti din Romania), an organization led by Dr. Wilhelm Filderman. In this role, Carp began collecting documents concerning the plight of Romanian Jews. When the *Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania* was closed in December 1941 and replaced by the *Jewish Center* (Centrala Evreilor - an institution modeled after the Judenrat), Matatias Carp left his position. According to his account, he hid part of the Federation’s archive. Carp continued documenting the situation of the Romanian Jews and collected materials from various sources: from Germans through bribery; from Romanian friends; from the Jewish community; and from the Romanian Ministry of Interior - where an acquaintance who worked there allowed him to copy official documents. Between 1946 and 1948, Matatias Carp published three volumes of *The Black Book - The Sufferings of Romanian Jews during 1940 - 1944* (Cartea Neagra. Suferintele evreilor din Romania 1940 - 1944). His work was based on material he collected during and immediately after the war, including materials from the Federation’s Archive and Wilhelm Filderman's Office. It covered topics such as the Legionnaires’ Rebellion and the Bucharest pogrom, the Iasi pogrom, and the Transnistria affair. Matatias and Ella Carp immigrated to Israel in fall 1951. Through several channels, Carp managed to smuggle archival materials to Israel and to Wilhelm Filderman in Paris. Matatias Carp passed away in July 1952 in Jerusalem. Those archival materials which have been digitized and made available for viewing -- accessed on this site or through the GFH Archives' website -- may be downloaded for <u>personal use and classroom presentation</u>, but <u>not for distribution in any media</u>. High-resolution images of the original archival materials are available by order; there is a fee for this service.