c ă tor ▁had ▁gone ▁on ▁to ▁state : ▁"[ H it ler ] ▁could ▁have ▁easily ▁l ured ▁the ▁Jew ry ▁on ▁his ▁side , ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁war ▁he ' d ▁have ▁been ▁able ▁to ▁wrest le ▁with ▁it , ▁but ▁not ▁in ▁this ▁destruct ive ▁manner , ▁that ▁one ▁is ▁not ▁hum ane ." ▁ ▁On ▁July ▁ 2 , ▁ 1 9 4 2 , ▁Sm och in ă ▁was ▁made ▁an ▁honor ary ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ian ▁Academy . ▁He ▁was ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁working ▁under ▁anth rop ologist ▁Tra ian ▁H ers eni , ▁involved ▁in ▁a ▁large ▁inter dis cipl inary ▁effort ▁to ▁collect ▁and ▁system at ize ▁the ▁folk lor ic ▁creation ▁of ▁Trans n ist rian ▁Roman ians ; ▁his ▁contribution ▁was ▁featured ▁in ▁G he org he ▁Pav eles cu ' s ▁ 1 9 4 3 ▁mon ograph ▁As pect e ▁din ▁spiritual itatea ▁rom â nil or ▁trans n ist ri eni : ▁Cred in ț e ▁și ▁ob ice i uri ▁(" As pect s ▁of ▁Roman ian ▁Trans n ist rian ▁Spirit ual ity : ▁Bel ief s ▁and ▁Custom s "). ▁The ▁investigation ▁also ▁aim ed ▁to ▁react ▁against ▁dec ades ▁of ▁Soviet ▁anti - rel ig ious ▁campaign s , ▁and ▁cons ci ously ▁ex cluded ▁all ▁fol kl ore ▁which ▁showed ▁Soviet - era ▁influ ences . ▁In ▁T iras pol , ▁Alexand ru ▁Sm och in ă ▁took ▁up ▁a ▁like - mind ed