Guttman Landau

Guttman Shmuel Landau (Russian: Товий-Гутман Самуилович Ландо, Toby-Gutman Samuilovich Lando, also known as Guttman Lando or Gutman Landau; 1877 or 1878 – May 21, 1942) was a leader of the Bessarabian Jewish community, active in the Moldavian Democratic Republic and Romania. His social work was tied to the city of Chișinău, where he was also a civil servant and merchant. A member of the Moldavian Republic's legislature (Sfatul Țării) in 1918, he returned to prominence during World War II, designated by the antisemitic regime of Ion Antonescu as President of the Chișinău Judenrat, effectively answering for the Chișinău Ghetto. He was unable to prevent his constituents' deportation and indiscriminate killing in Transnistria Governorate, but was spared their fate until May 20, 1942. He committed suicide the following day; his wife attempted the same, but was rescued and survived the war.