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Efraim (Fred) Saraga October 16 1891 - October 20 1961, was a well-known figure in the Jewish-Romanian public life during the first half of the 20th century whose main contribution was aiding the Romanian jews who were exiled to Transnistria and getting them back to Romania. Many of the deportees, especially the children, regarded him as a savior angel and thus he was also referred to as "the father of the orphans from Transnistria"

Born in Jassy (Iasi), into a traditional family, he was educated in Jewish and municipal schools, and graduated in 1914 from a commercial and administrative college in Vienna, Austria. Back in Romania, he married Rita Sufrin. He was soon conscripted in the Romanian army, as administrative NCO, for the duration of the war. After a few years in the family business, he started in the mid-30s a small textile plant, together with his brother. This provided a modest income, which allowed both partners to pursue their other interests—brother Joseph was an active Zionist, and Fred was interested in public activities. As a beginning, he organized a few girls' schools. Then he put up a large loans' fund, for the benefit of small Jewish tradesmen and artisans, who could not get loans from banks.

After the fall of France in 1940, Germany prepared for the invasion of the USSR. Under pressure, pro-German governments were put up in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Persecutions of the Jewish populations soon began. In June 1941 a cruel pogrom was instigated at Iasi. 15000 to 20000 Jews were murdered, and thousands more were packed in sealed freight railway cars and transported to and fro. When the trains stopped, many were found dead, and the rest were in urgent need of food, clothing and medicines. The Jewish community quickly organized aid, and a team headed by Saraga was given the task of distributing it [. This saved the lives of thousands.

In March 1941, taking advantage of a unique opportunity, the two Saraga children, aged 22 and 14, were sent to Palestine, and spared the terrors of the war years.

After the Nazi armies occupied Ukraine, part of it—named Transnistria-- was handed to the Romanian authorities, with the scope of solving the Jewish problem of Romania. Many were deported there—the true number is not known, but it amounted to hundreds of thousands. They were sent to villages and small towns, with no food, clothing, medical aid and means of existence, and many perished [4,5,6 ]. About a year and a half, and innumerable requests later, a delegation of the " Autonomous committee of assistance" was allowed to enter Transnistria, with the purpose of meeting the deportees, studying their urgent needs, and gathering and then distributing the obtained means of survival. Saraga headed the delegation, as well as three additional ones that went to Transnistria during the following year [ 7,8,9 ].

Efraim Sharaga ( known as Fred Saraga, 1891-1961) was a well-known figure in the Jewish-Romanian public life during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Jassy (Iasi), into a traditional family, he was educated in Jewish and municipal schools, and graduated in 1914 from a commercial and administrative college in Vienna, Austria. Back in Romania, he married Rita Sufrin. He was soon conscripted in the Romanian army, as administrative NCO, for the duration of the war. After a few years in the family business, he started in the mid-30s a small textile plant, together with his brother. This provided a modest income, which allowed both partners to pursue their other interests—brother Joseph was an active Zionist, and Fred was interested in public activities. As a beginning, he organized a few girls' schools [1]. Then he put up a large loans' fund, for the benefit of small Jewish tradesmen and artisans, who could not get loans from banks [2]. After the fall of France in 1940, Germany prepared for the invasion of the USSR. Under pressure, pro-German governments were put up in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Persecutions of the Jewish populations soon began. In June 1941 a cruel pogrom was instigated at Iasi. 15000 to 20000 Jews were murdered, and thousands more were packed in sealed freight railway cars and transported to and fro. When the trains stopped, many were found dead, and the rest were in urgent need of food, clothing and medicines. The Jewish community quickly organized aid, and a team headed by Saraga was given the task of distributing it [3]. This saved the lives of thousands. In March 1941, taking advantage of a unique opportunity, the two Saraga children, aged 22 and 14, were sent to Palestine, and spared the terrors of the war years. After the Nazi armies occupied Ukraine, part of it—named Transnistria-- was handed to the Romanian authorities, with the scope of solving the Jewish problem of Romania. Many were deported there—the true number is not known, but it amounted to hundreds of thousands. They were sent to villages and small towns, with no food, clothing, medical aid and means of existence, and many perished [4,5,6 ]. About a year and a half, and innumerable requests later, a delegation of the " Autonomous committee of assistance" was allowed to enter Transnistria, with the purpose of meeting the deportees, studying their urgent needs, and gathering and then distributing the obtained means of survival. Saraga headed the delegation, as well as three additional ones that went to Transnistria during the following year [ 7,8,9 ]. Saraga did not live long enough to write memories. Six fragments, published years later in Romanian-language Israeli newspapers [10,11] are first-hand testimonies of the dramatic and tragic period. A few quotes : "… 30.12.42. An urgent order from 'above' : The delegation must leave immediately, to-day…With much difficulty, we receive a delay of one day…We go, together, to receive the blessing of our spiritual father—the chief Rabbi, dr. Alexander Safran…He did not give us a speech. He read, and translated, a letter sent by Rambam (Maimonides) to a delegation of Spanish Jews sent to the persecuted Yemenite Jewry : 'You         [12] '…with moist eyes, he then embraced and blessed each of us. We all wept—just  as now, as I write down these memories late at night, I cannot control my emotion" "Odessa, 2.1.43, 7 o' clock in the evening. We met at the entrance of the Governmental Palace…We climbed rhe stairs with deep emotion and worry. We were aware of the absolute power enjoyed by Alexianu ,strongly supported by the Germans. We knew his hatred of the Jews, and his desire to exterminate them ,and the aversion he had regarding the visit of a delegation of  "Jids"—enemies and non-desired witnesses…We lived in  shock, and that gave us the force and courage that we needed so much. At last, the crucial moment approaches : We are called to enter…At the far end of the room, behind his desk, under the portraits of Marshal  Antonescu and Hitler, stand Alexianu and his ministers…We realize that the Nazi protocol  imposes that, to avoid offering chairs to Jews, the rulers themselves must stand…Alexianu begins : " It was difficult for you to arrive here. It may be difficult to return. This depends on your behavior. You will go only where I permit, you will talk only to whom I allow, and will talk only about what I let you. In the same manner, he listed all our sins, and those of all Jews, and the suitable punishment. He explained the futility of our mission, as everything is planned and done according to plan.' Your visit will follow the program set up by the authorities' .We listened to the torrent of calumny and hate…and understood the  menace to our personal safety. I asked for permission to speak. It was probably a providential grace that guided my words—to implore…to explain an action that seeks nothing but to reduce suffering. Not one menacing word, not one reproach. I outlined our plan, as we saw it…On my knees, leaning on my bag, I opened files and read documents. I spoke at length, and wondered as he allowed it. When I finished, I was exhausted." Following this mission and two subsequent ones, significant aid—food, money, medication and clothing—was transported to Transnistria and distributed there. Finally, at the beginning of 1944, approaching the end of the war, it was agreed to repatriate deportees "sent by mistake"' and about 2000 orphans. "…In November 1943, the Government decided that orphans of both parents, aged 12 or less, would be repatriated….The Comission of assistance started organizing the whole operation. The main problems were : Final preparing final lists of the eligible orphans ; obtaining clothing and shoes  ; physical care of the children, most of them underfed ; transporting the orphans to easily accessible places…Owing to the tireless and unselfish work of all those around the commission, the plan was totally fulfilled in time…On February 1944, everything was ready…I started the journey to Mogilev, with two colleagues..On our way, delegates of the various cities (where the children would be temporarily hosted) joined our train…We all stayed for the night at Ataki, and the following morning… I alone crossed to Mogilev…I met the police commander, Major Botoroaga and his aides. All the documents were ready…The first childfen were already at Mogilev, and others were on their way. Crowded in trucks and on sleds, they incessantly arrived…After bathing and receiving first medical treatment, the children received clean clothes and proceeded to the railway station, where the long-awaited trains had arrived. A long table was placed in front of the cars. In the middle sat major Botoroaga, with his officers …I alone sat beside him, and behind me Dr. Mayer Teich and…This was the last check, done by the commanding officer himself…I cannot forget his outbursts of rage, when he doubted the age of a child. Dr. Teich and myself often barely succeeded in saving from the serpents' lair a boy or a girl, who then desperately ran to the railway cars…The officers left, and a shout of joy and relief sounded from almost 1500 chests. It was a joy shadowed by tragic memories…Here and there, a man or a woman stood as turned to stone. With tears, they looked at the cars. They had succeeded in posing their children as orphans… On March 16 I obtained permission to bring back a second group of orphans. I immediately left, but was stopped on the way…the Soviet army was nearing Mogilev. " His mission accomplished, Fred Saraga and Rita led one of the groups of orphans on their way to a new life in Palestine. In July 1944 they arived, and reunited with their children. After a brief period of working with Aliyat Hanoar—the youth immigration department of the Jewish Agency-- he started the Palestinian, and later Israeli, branch of the HIAS organization, that  offered varied assistance to newcomers—from food and financial aid to locating dispersed families. He worked there for the rest of his life, while being involved  in various public activities-- such as being among the leaders of establishing a housing project for new immigrants from Romania, founding a Bnei Brith lodge for the same ,as well as  beginning to write memories, and being the pivot of family life. He died in October 1961, at the age of 70, on his way to work. His personal small archive was donated to "Yad Vashem'.

References 1. Eaton 2. Ussoskin 3. 4. Hilberg 5. Ioanid 6. Benjamin 7.Geller 8. Wiesel 9. 10. Sliha 11. Viata 12. Safran