From: marian@vms.huji.ac.il
Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian
Subject: anti-Semitism
Date: 10 Oct 92 17:55:33 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hi everybody,

I'd like to tackle in this group one of the most important test which every
real democracy and especially the new democracies of former communist countries,
inclusively Romania, is confronted with: the problem of xenophobia and
particularly, the problem of anti-Semitism. I think you heard on the excesses
of German neo-nazism against the strangers in Germany (inclusively against
Romanian people), also on the murder of few Chinese people in Bucharest.
Putrid papers, like "Romania Mare" ("Greater Romania") and "Europa" ("Europe")
stir chauvinist fire of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. On the other hand,
conscious voices raise up against these dangerous social phenomena. One of
these voices is of Nicolae, the metropolitan of Banat. I shall try to translate
into English his article, which has appeared in the religious magazine
"Invierea" ("Resurrection"), issued by the Archbishopric of Timisoara and
Caransebes. A part of this article has appeared also in Romanian in the
magazine "Minimum", edited in Tel-Aviv, by the known playwright Alexandru
Mirodan. (By the way, "Minimum" is a very interesting cultural magazine on
Romanian). Here is the translation:

"... Under the looks of contemporary world, in Germany, and not only in the
hitlerian homeland, anti-Semitic phenomena have appeared. These phenomena
hurt and worry us, because also nor our country is exempted by them, even
they are isolated and not extended. It is talking about few publications,
which stir anti-Semitic impulses, which handle opinions destined to justify
or to defend persons or political groups belonging to the past and known for
their fascist positions, and hooliganic behaviours reffering to Jews, as
(we limit to facts which took place the past year): breaking the windows of
Jewish community in Brasov, deterioration of Jewish graves in the Alba-Iulia
cemetery and writing of insults on Jewish funeral tombs, overturning of many
tombal stones in the Spaniol cemetery in Bucharest etc. Phenomena like these
are strange us Romanians in general and especially to Christians. Our people
is characterized by tolerance and we always lived fraternally with all the
minorities. It must emphasize in a special manner that the anti-Semitism is
absolutely unacceptable for a Christian. Jesus the Saviour, His Mother by
body, the Holy Apostles and their apprentices were all of them Jews; the
Christianity's beginnings are related to the synagogue; the basis book of
Christianity is the Holy Scriptures, whom the first part is the Old Testament,
the same which is the basis book of the Jews. In addition, the Christian
education supports the idea that all the people are equal among them, as
the sons of the same heavenly Father, therefore there aren't superior races
and other who have to be scorned. Our Lord Jesus Christ said even that:
"The Salvation will come from the Jews" (John,1,22)...
The outbursts of anti-Semitism, as well any discriminations based upon
racial or ethnic differences are signs of primitiveness completely strange
for the civilized man of out time. They do harm to the society in which
appear, but even to the persons who practice them. Also in our time it
happens that here and there bursts the fire of anti-Semitic manifestations,
which we thought they disappeared for ever. In order to these manifestations
don't resemble to the small fire which transforms to a big fire, we all have
to put the hand on the water buckets to put out the fire, don't let him to
extend, that is to neutralize any slips toward anti-Semitism, chauvinism and
ethnic enmity."

Marian
                                                    FLUCTUAT NEC MERGITUR
                                                    (Fly, don't drag)