Romania

From JudaismWiki

ROMANIA. Jewish history in Romania goes back to the 4th century. It is believed that Jews settled there in earliest times, even before the Roman conquest of Dacia, now Transylvania. In 397 C.E., the Roman emperor issued a decree granting protection to Jewish settlers and their synagogues in Dacia. Thereafter, the fate of the Jews in the region is unknown until the early Middle Ages, when, in the 8th and 9th centuries the khazars conquered the region. Some 300 years later, the famous traveler, Benjamin of Tudela, told of a Jewish colony in Wallachia. During the Middle Ages, the country was divided into small principalities. In most of them, Jews suffered bitter persecution. Yet they were pioneers in commerce and industry and were among the first to settle in the city of Bucharest. Some of the local rulers recognized the contribution of Jews to the welfare of the country, and occasionally even encouraged them to settle in their territories. Usually, however, treatment of Jews was inhuman and cruel. The Cossack uprising in 1648 spread from the Ukraine to Moldavia, causing suffering along the way. Nevertheless, the following century saw a rise in the Jewish population in both Romanian provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia.

After the tumultuous Turkish rule, the two provinces were united to form an independent state in 1859. This independence was recognized by the Congress of Berlin in 1878. According to the treaty signed at the Congress, Romania was obligated to grant full civil and political fights to all nationalities, including Jews. The government, however, failed to live up to the treaty. Economic as well as educational restrictions and attacks against Jews were frequent. At the end of the 19th century, constant persecution forced many to emigrate to the U.S. Some also settled in Palestine where they founded the colonies of Rosh Pinah and Zikhron Yaakov.

Following World War I, discrimination and antisemitic riots continued and spread to large Jewish communities in Bessarabia and Bukovina, which had been annexed by Romania. A strong antisemitic campaign was carried on by the Iron Guard party. During World War II, the anti-Jewish groups cooperated with the Nazis in the extermination of Jews. Only about half of Romanian Jewry survived the slaughter; some succeeded in fleeing the country and settled in Palestine. More than 200,000 Jews remained. In 2007, the Jewish population was estimated at fewer than 7,000. The community has produced outstanding people, such as scholars Moses Gaster and Solomon Schechter and the contemporary Yiddish poet Itzik Manger. Jews were permitted to emigrate to Israel in 1958-59, but Arab political pressure has slowed down the process.

Synagogues

Synagogue of Bacau Tolstoi nr. 16 Bacau 5500

Brasov Singougue Poarta schei 23 Brasov 2200 Orthodox

Chabad Lubavitch of Romania Aleea Negru Voda 6 Bucharest Tel: 40-21-312-3668 Fax: 40-21-312-3668

Choral Temple Str. Sf. Vineri 9 Bucharest Tel: 40 1 312 21 96

Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania Vineri 9-11 Sector 3 Bucharest Tel: 40 1 613 2538 Fax: 40 1 312 0869

Yeshoah Tova Synagogue Str. Tache Ionescu 9 Bucharest

Templul Deportatilor Cluj-Napoca Str.Horea 31 Str.David Francisc nr.14 Cluj-Napoca Orthodox Tel: +40-264-59660

Jewish Community of Iasi 15 Elena Doamna St Iasi Orthodox Tel: 40 32 114 414

Jewish Community of Satu Mare 4 Decebal St Satu Mare Masorti Tel: 40 61 743 783

Jewish Community of Timisoara Str. Gh.Lazar nr. 5 Timisoara Orthodox http://cet.rdstm.ro/