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Distinctive Jewish badges that the Jews of Romania were forced to wear on their clothing in accordance with the directives of the German occupation.
Yad Vashem Artifacts Collection
Donated by Jean Ancel, Jerusalem, Israel
The decree regarding the distinctive badge for Jews in Romania varied from place to place. In September 1941 the first directives were issued in the annexed territories of Bessarabia and Bukovina, ordering every Jew aged twelve and over to affix a distinctive badge to his/her clothing.
In the Transnistria region, Jews were required to wear distinctive badges from July 1942. In the "Regat" (Romania within 1914 borders) there was talk of imposing distinctive badges as early as the fall of 1941 but nothing was done until 1943. By this time the fall of Nazi Germany was already foreseeable, which enabled the Romanian government to defer action regarding further anti-Jewish legislation.
In the Artifacts Collection there are assorted badges from Romania. The most common badge appears to have been a yellow star on a black circular background.
