Roma Holocaust Survivor Dumitru Miclescu Passes Away at 92

The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) expresses its profound sorrow at the passing of Mr. Dumitru Miclescu on 15 May, at the age of 92. Born on 8 March 1934, Mr. Miclescu was among the last Roma Holocaust survivors from Romania who carried direct memories of the deportations to Transnistria and the suffering inflicted upon Roma families during the Holocaust. Throughout his life, he remained a courageous witness to one of the darkest chapters in European history and a committed advocate for remembrance, dignity, and historical recognition.

In 2025, Mr. Miclescu became the first Roma Holocaust survivor from Romania to address the United Nations General Assembly during the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. His testimony represented not only his personal experience, but also the memory of countless Roma victims whose voices were silenced by persecution, deportation, and genocide.

During his address, Mr. Miclescu spoke about the deportations to Transnistria and the camps of Vapniarka, Tiraspol, Coronica, and Odessa. He recalled the loss of family members, the daily presence of death, and the long decades during which Roma survivors remained unrecognized and excluded from public memory.

Mr. Miclescu understood the importance of preserving memory and ensuring that the experiences of Roma victims become an integral part of European and global historical consciousness. Mr. Miclescu continued throughout his life to engage with younger generations, sharing his testimony with dignity and humanity. At a time when the voices of living survivors are disappearing, his contribution to historical remembrance remains invaluable.

We honor the memory of Mr. Dumitru Miclescu and extend our deepest condolences to his family, community, and all those who were touched by his life and testimony.

Dumitru Miclescu Speech at the United Nations Holocaust Memorial Ceremony on 27 January 2025

It is an immense honor to stand before you today. To speak here at the United Nations is something I never imagined I would do. I am here not only for myself but I want to bring the voice of the Roma who suffered during the Holocaust. 

My name is Dumitru Miclescu from Romania. I am Roma and I am a survivor of one of the darkest chapters in the history of our country: the terror camps in Transnistria. Roma as well as Jews have been deported to Transnistria between 1942 and 1944 for forced labour and to be killed. Even today, in Romania, people do not know about the terror and only call it “deportations”. But let me be clear: what we experienced was genocide: persecution, mass murder, and profound injustice. Only because we were born as Roma or as Jews. Up to 25.000 Roma were deported, over 11.000 killed.

I was born in March 1934, as my mother told me. The authorities only recorded my birth in 1938 when they collected our names to prepare the deportations. I was just eight years old when my family and I were forced onto the trains to Transnistria. I can never forget those moments:  the suffocating heat, the cries of children, and the despair that filled the air. Many people died in the trains before we even arrived. Those who survived faced unimaginable suffering: forced labor, starvation, disease, and constant terror. 

We were sent to camps like Vapniarka and Tiraspol, where death was a daily presence. I watched how my mother, my sister, and two of my brothers died because of the brutality.

Only a handful of us returned home, and when we did, we returned to nothing. No one was there to welcome us or to help us rebuild. No one acknowledged the horrors we had endured. Our homes, our land, our dignity—all were taken from us, and nothing was given back.

For decades, our suffering was silenced. Under communism, we were not recognized as survivors of the Holocaust. 

After the fall of communism in Romania, violence against Roma erupted. My people were killed again, their houses were burnt down. In 1992, like many other Roma from Romania, I sought hope in Germany. When we arrived there, we faced hatred and racism. In Rostock, we faced neo-Nazi violence and a pogrom. We were many Holocaust survivors. The German government did not offer us protection but deported us back to Romania.  

I stand before you today as a Holocaust survivor, but also as a witness to the ongoing struggles of my people, the Roma community in Romania and Europe. Many Roma communities today still face poverty, racism and violence. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

I am here today because it is important to remember our history and to educate. 

Today for the first time, a Roma Holocaust survivor from Romania can address the international community. This is an important step to recognize our history. 

But there is still much to be done. Transnistria remains a forgotten chapter of the Holocaust. It is not enough to remember Auschwitz, Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen. We must also include places like Vapniarka and Tiraspol on the map of Holocaust history. 

I call upon Romania and all countries to include the history of Roma as part of our shared national history in national museums and in education. 

I call upon all countries to fully recognize the Roma Holocaust. 

Let me say to all the young people who listen to my story: I ask you to learn about the past and to carry the memory of us survivors to the future. I hope you can build a world without racism. 

Dikh He Na Bister!