Romania

LEARN ABOUT THE JEWS OF ROMANIA!

The first Jews settled in Romania after they were expelled from Hungary in the 14th century. Over the following centuries, some Jews made their way to the area after being expelled from Spain and after the Chmielnicki massacres in Poland and Ukraine. During the early movement for Romanian independence during the early 19th century, restrictions were imposed upon Jews and in 1867, Jews were expelled from Romanian villages. When Romanian independence was finally declared, Jews were excluded from citizenship. Throughout the beginning of the 20th century, anti-Semitism continued to increase.

During WWII, though Romania was not occupied by the Germans, its government was extremely friendly with Germany until it joined the Allies in 1944. Nearly half of Romania’s Jewish population died during the war.

Today, between 9,300-17,000 Jews live in Romania. The community is served by several synagogues and Jewish community centers.