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Interwar Romania

Explore the demographics, economics, and political landscape of Romanian Jewries pre and post-World War I, covering regions like Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania. Uncover the struggle for emancipation, radical antisemitism, and the impact of nationalist movements. Understand the complexities of Jewish identity and the challenges faced by the Jewish population in a changing Romania.

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Interwar Romania

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  1. Interwar Romania

  2. Regat • Nation-state before WWI • Moldavia, Wallachia, Dobrogea • After WWI gained • Bessarabia • Bucovina • Transylvania (Siebenburgen) • Banat • Crisana- Maramures

  3. The Romanian Jewries: Wallachia • Bucharest • W Type: acculturated, wealthy • Peasants & bourgeoisie & intelligentsia: antisemitism

  4. The Romanian Jewries: Moldavia • E type • Cities – proletarian • Yiddish, Hasidism • Strong antisemitism

  5. The Romanian Jewries: Crisana- Maramures • Before: Hungary • E type • Hasidism x Haskala • Zionism x Bund

  6. The Romanian Jewries: Bukovina • Before: Austria • E type: poverty, yiddish, orthodox • No strong antisemitism (emancipation 1867) • Czernowitz (Cernauti)

  7. The Romanian Jewries: Bessarabia • Before: Russia (Odessa) • E type: yiddish, orthodox • Proletariat + lower middle class • Kishniev (Chisinau)

  8. The Romanian Jewries: Transylvania & Banat • Before: Hungary • yiddish, orthodox x neolog • Urban middle class: „Hungarians of Mosaic faith“ strong antisemitism • N Transylvania (Maramures) more of E type (towns, yiddish, hasidism) • Satmar (Satu- Mare) • Sighet

  9. Demography, Economics, Identity: Romania • 1930: 757 000 Jews by religion: • 4,2% of population

  10. Demography, Economics: Wallachia • Bucharest • Jews 12% of population • High bourgeoisie- BANKERS

  11. Demography, Economics: Moldavia • Iasi • 1/3 Jewish • Small towns • Industry + commerce, professions, crafts

  12. Demography, Economics: Crisana- Maramures • Poverty, Hasidim • commerce, professions, crafts

  13. Demography, Economics: Bukovina • Czernowitz (Cernauti) • 40% Jewish • Little towns, villages • Great poverty • commerce, professions, crafts

  14. Demography, Economics: Bessarabia • Kishniev (Chisinau) • 36% Jewish • Little towns, villages • Great poverty • commerce, professions, crafts

  15. Demography, Economics: N Transylvania (Maramures) • E pattern • Szatmar (Satu- Mare) 23% • Sighet 40% • towns, villages

  16. Demography, Economics: S Transylvania + Banat • W pattern • Cluj 14% • Timisoara 10% • towns, villages • Jews= commercial and industrial middle class

  17. Identity • FEW: „Romanians of Mosaic faith“ • Antisemitic tradition • Berlin Treaty – no citizenship for Jews  assimilation impossible • Autonomous Jewish culture only in Bessarabia and Bukovina

  18. The Jewish Question • Emancipation 1923 • Regat • Problem: newly gained territories • Jews stateless • Liberal Party, National Peasant Party – opposed to radical antisemitism • League of National Christian Defense – radically antisemitic • Prof. Alexandru CUZA – Uni of Iasi

  19. League of National Christian Defense • 1928 manifesto of the National- Christian Defense League: • "Romanian brethren! The Land of the Romanians faces a great peril. The kikes, with assistance from Judaized Romanians and the political parties, as tools of the kikes, are gambling with the future of the Country and Folk."

  20. Jewish Politics Regat: Wallachia, Moldavia New Territories: Transylvania, Bukovina, Bessarabia Bund: Bessarabia& Bukovina Agudat Israel: Bessarabia (Tsirelson), Transylvania X Zionism: Bessarabia (Kishniev) & Bukovina • UER (Union of Romanian Jews) • Bucharest bourgeoisie • Romanization • For legal equality& full emancipation FILDERMAN • Not Zionist: Political not national emancipation • Alliances with Romanian parties • Believed in doykait

  21. Zionism Regat: Wallachia, Moldavia New Territories: Transylvania, Bukovina, Bessarabia Transylvania: more assimilated to Hungary N – Hasidic communities – backwards Romanian antisemitism  Zionism 1928: Jewish National Club in Parliament (supported by Tsirelson) • Moldavia • Galician type Jewry • Zionism • Zionism focused on building Palestine  no conflicts with UER: Jews in Romania

  22. Jewish Politics Regat: Wallachia, Moldavia New Territories: Transylvania, Bukovina, Bessarabia 1930´s : antagonism among UER & Jewish Party diminished (x fascism)  1936 CENTRAL COUNCIL OF ROMANIAN JEWS, led by FILDERMAN

  23. Education • Bessarabia, Bukovina • important centers of secular culture • Tarbut and Yiddish schools in Bessarabia

  24. Radical Antisemitism: Overview Moderate R Radical R IRON GUARD Corneliu CODREANU 1937 short lived government under poet Octovian GOGA • King Carol • 1938-40 ROYAL DICTATORSHIP • 1940 loss of territories (USSR, Hungary, Bulgaria) – abdicated • 1940 FASCIST REGIME: IRON GUARD + Marshal ION ANTONESCU • 1941 ANTONESCU seized complete control and destroyed Iron Guard

  25. Radical Antisemitism: Details • 1934 NATIONAL WORK LAW • 80% of employees must be Romanians • King supported Jewish emigration to Palestine – supported also by Codreanu (radical R) • Goga- Cuza regime: • Jewish rights must be revoked • Jewish newcomers (after 1919) must be expulsed • Jewish newspaper shut down • Expulsion from professional organizations

  26. Radical Antisemitism: Details • 1938 • March – King´s coup – new government leader an ORTHODOX PATRIARCH • Late 1938 – brutal campaign x the Iron guard, Codreanu murdered • King abolished constitution DICTATORSHIP • 1939 • 270 000 Jews deprived of their citizenship

  27. Radical Antisemitism: Details • 1940 • Summer: loss of Bessarabia and N Bukovina • Racial laws (certain exemption for pre-war citizens)  Jews: • Can not own land • Can not publish newspapers • Can not be in the army • Can not make part of public life • Can not deal in goods • Can not marry gentiles • Can not convert • Jewish institutions closed and parties outlawed • Numerus clausus at high schools  Romania : center for illegal immigration to Palestine

  28. Radical Antisemitism: Details • 1940 • Sep – King abdicated • Iron Guard government + Marshal ANTONESCU = BEGGINING OF HOLOCAUST in Romania • 1941 • Jan – BLOODY POGROM IN BUCHAREST • ANTONESCU SEIZED THE POWER • „good Jews“ – Regat, S Transylvania • Bessarabia, Bucovina – Jews murdered during the reconquest from the USSR

  29. 1944 • King MIHAI • COUP X ANTONESCU • ROMANIA JOINED ALLIES • 57% of Romanian Jews still alive – more than anywhere else in ECE

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