On 22 June 1941, Germany and Romania invaded the Soviet Union. During the first days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, approximately 13,000 Jews were murdered by Romanian army units, police, and gendarmerie in the town of Iasi, close to the border with the USSR and in two death trains. Some 2,500 Jews were arrested by German and Romanian forces and deported to Călăraşi, 60 km north of Iasi. Over 1,400 Jews were murdered or perished from dehydration and starvation in the overcrowded cattle cars during the journey that lasted almost a week.
Andrei Călăraşu, his father and brother were among the deportees. They were crammed into a cattle car holding 120 people, which was then sealed and set off very slowly. Some of those penned up perished of dehydration and starvation during the journey, which took almost a week to complete. Others lost their minds. Some drank urine to stave off their immense thirst. The corpses, which included Andrei's father and brother, began to rot. Andrei was saved thanks to Viorica Agarici, a representative of the Red Cross in Romania, who insisted on opening the cars at one of the stops. The bodies were removed, the cattle cars were aired out, and the surviving passengers were given water.
Andrei's train reached Călăraşi , and the survivors were taken down from the cars. Andrei had pneumonia, and was laid down on the floor of the local synagogue. The Romanian soldiers continued to murder Jews in Călăraşi .
The survivors of the death trains were set free after two months of camp detention in Călăraşi and Podul Iloaei.
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