Grigore Caraza, a model anti-communist fighter

Grigore Caraza: A Life of Resistance and Memory

On 1 February 2017, Grigore Caraza would have turned 88. Many of his former colleagues endured similar ages under immense suffering—figures such as Father Iustin Pîrvu, Father Filaret Gămălău, or Father Nicolae Grebenea, whom God granted long lives of up to 102 years. Grigore was born on 1 February 1929, the fifth of six children, to Ioana and Vasile Caraza, a landowner in the mountains of Poiană Teiului. He attended primary school in Poiana Teiului and completed his secondary education in Piatra Neamț.

In 1948, Ioan Olaru, a teacher inspector from Borca, appointed Grigore Caraza as director of the Călugăreni primary school in Poiana Teiului. By then, Soviet-backed Communist rule had begun in Romania, and Caraza became actively involved in anti-communist resistance. Together with his students Valentin (Puiu) Blăgescu and Pamfil Sălăgeanu, he founded the Brotherhood of Arms, an anti-communist organisation. His brother Gheorghe (Gelu) was also active in the Brotherhood of the Cross.

Grigore’s arrest came on 31 August 1949. Betrayed—possibly by Pamfil—he was warned by a neighbour while mowing the orchard with his father that the Securitate awaited him at home. At his house near Piatra Teiului, he found an axe in the cellar and Asofia’s guard, who warned him to lay it down before taking him into custody. Caraza was interrogated and beaten by Ruscior Modest at Piatra Neamț before being sent to Galata prison in Iași. The accompanying file labeled him in red ink and capital letters as a “DANGEROUS PRISONER.”

From Galata, Caraza was transferred to numerous prisons: Jilava, Văcărești, Târgu Ocna, Constanța, Bacău, and finally Aiud, where he spent 18 years, eight of them in the notorious “Zarcă” section. His youth was largely consumed in the harsh confines of Aiud, with a total imprisonment of 18 years plus two years of compulsory residence.

After his release, Caraza meticulously studied his 22 files, containing over 8,000 documents, at CNSAS, discovering notes that shocked him. He identified Galata and Aiud as the prisons where he suffered most acutely under Communist “re-education.”

Learning Thousands of Verses in Prison

In Aiud, he shared his suffering with great personalities such as Petre Țuțea, Nichifor Crainic, Radu Gyr, Prince Ghika, Dumitru Bejan, P. Calciu Dumitreasa, Mircea Vulcănescu, P. Mihai Lungeanu, Mirică Traian, and Dumitru Cristea. Grigore recalled the extraordinary influence of Nichifor Crainic (“the Ceahlăul or Olympus of the Romanian nation”), Radu Gyr, and philosopher Petrovici, who welcomed him into their circle. He memorized thousands of verses, reciting them upon request, with their encouragement:

“You will never die. Take these verses for the culture of the Romanian people, for yourself, and for us. You’ll get out because you are young, daring, and persistent.”

After Aiud, he was placed under house arrest in Răchitoasa, Bărăgan, where his father visited and shared the devotion of his former students. Father Bejan described Caraza as “tall, thin and weak, with the wind blowing through his lungs.” His first period of imprisonment lasted from 31 August 1949 until 1964. Between 1964 and 1970, he worked at the milk factory in Piatra Neamț, only to be arrested again in 1970 and released in 1977. During imprisonment, he endured extreme deprivation: 35 spoonfuls of water per day, 65 days in solitary confinement, 40 days on hunger strike, and 156 days in chains.

A Life of Resistance Abroad

One night in his death cell, he dreamed of Mount Ceahlău made of millet. He ate heartily, starting from the foothills, but could not reach the Toaca and Panaghia. He awoke with the cloth under his head wet from drool. Upon his release in July 1977, after 41 years of hard labor and civil disqualification, the Aiud prison authorities labeled him “illiterate and irredeemable.”

Caraza eventually emigrated to the United States, becoming a prominent voice for Romanian freedom. He fought tirelessly for the rights of Romanians in exile, appearing on American radio, in the press, and before the US Senate. In 1986, he famously set fire to the USSR flag in a Washington demonstration. He married Rodica Popescu, a teacher from Hangu, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in 2006, he was invited to the White House by Hillary Clinton as President of the Association of Former Political Prisoners.

During his 21 years in the US, Caraza was highly regarded in his professional work and continued his advocacy for Romanian rights abroad. He undertook numerous trips to reconnect with former fellow prisoners, to honor their memory, and to commemorate the fallen.

A Man of Memory and Forgiveness

Caraza was known for his fiery temper, yet he forgave when possible. He recounted meeting one of his former torturers in a village in the Bistrița Valley: rather than confront the man, he offered a book as a gift to the torturer’s wife, demonstrating the power of compassion over vengeance. He actively participated in commemorations in Aiud, reciting poems and singing patriotic songs he had memorized in prison. He preserved the memory of his fellow prisoners, including Father Lungianu, one of fifty out of 7,000 who refused re-education.

Reflecting on Romania, Caraza said:

“For me, Romania means its beauty and its glory. It is Europe’s milestone between barbarism and civilisation. It is the mountains, the endless pine forests, the valleys and hills, the churches and monasteries, the tombs of our ancestors, the birds that sing in the rafters. Nowhere in the world is the sky clearer than where I live in Poiana Teiului. My soul has remained in the village of my childhood, one of the most beautiful in the world.”

Grigore Caraza was a man of extraordinary resilience, deep faith, and unwavering commitment to freedom. His life and legacy serve as an enduring testament to the courage and dignity of those who suffered for their ideals. His story, preserved in memoirs, documentaries, and historical research, remains a vital source of inspiration for younger generations, reminding us of the human cost of tyranny and the enduring power of conscience.