"I'm not going to argue w/ you again on this. Would be like wrestling w/ an alligator.
Before I list books found on all the university library shelves I'm familiar with, recently ran across some quip that if you want to misinformed talk with a man that has lived in a foreign country for 30 yrs."
You never argue Michael, you just send URL's. You sent me a URL about Anna Pauker, who was a friend of my father's and who, according to him (a jew), was not killed because she was a jew but because she was a real communist with a mind of her own. As for Tismaneanu, I am extremely skeptical of his information as it is part and parcel of his positioning himself as a certain kind of serviceable ex-commie.
What I would like to know is why you think your books and data sources are superior to the information of people who have lived in said countries for generations? In terms of Romania during Stalinism, the persecution of Jews is simply not something I or my family have encountered. Whatever bad-mouthing I remember had its origins with a peasant/Xtian-orthodox mentality and had nothing to do with Communism/Stalinism. As I mentioned before, my parents were deeply embedded in the Romanian "Camelot." They occupied prestigious and powerful positions (espcially my father), as did all of their friends, most of whom were Jews. My father, a jew, was a film producer and had at this disposal a chauffeur-driven Rolls. His best friend, a jew, was chair of comparative literature at the university. My mother's best friend, a jew, was secretary of the writer's union (which would be the top spot). Another close friend was a nuclear physicist, with an institute to run. I could go on and on.
Now there's no question that jews were persecuted under Antonescu's (fascist) government. My father was sent to a labor camp and was arrested and tortured. All his jewish friends were expelled from school and some jews had to go into hiding during the war. But this had nothing to do with Stalinism. Is this to say that Stalinism was terrific? Of course not. But let's criticize it for the right reasons.
The Alligator