(New York, NY)  January 4, 2023:  The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) issued the following statement on the Romanian Bucharest’s city council for refusing to dismantle a bust honoring Mircea Vulcanescu, who served as a finance minister in the country’s pro-Nazi government during World War II.

Mark Weitzman, WJRO Chief Operating Officer, issued the following statement:

“Although Romania has taken some positive steps on behalf of Holocaust survivors for the tragedy that befell Romanian Jewry during World War II, it is unacceptable that they continue to glorify a war criminal such as Mircea Vulcanescu by voting not to dismantle his bust from a park by the Romanian capital. During the war, Vulcanescu was the country’s finance minister. He collaborated with Nazi Germany and was responsible for the adoption of legislation to overtax Jews and strip them of property. Sadly, some of the council want to rewrite and distort history. This refusal to acknowledge the dark history of Romania’s fascist past is another strong reminder of the need for Romania to continue to work with WJRO to resolve ongoing issues of Holocaust era restitution and memory.”

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