The Jewish outlook., 1907-12-06
The Jews in Roumania
BY DIR. DAVID BLAUSTEIN BEFORE THE
PHILADELPHIA Y. Nj. II. A.

The ROumanians are a Latin race
and their language belongs to the
group of Latin languages. By religion
the ROumanians are Greek Catholics,
and as such they are close y connected
with Russia, the Gar of Russia being
the head of the Greek Catholic church.
Roumana is one of the petty king
doms of the Balkan Peninsula. Until
the Russian-Turkish war in 1877 ROu
mania was a principality under the
suzeranity of Turkey. After that war,
by an act of the Berlin treaty of 1878,
Roumania got its independence as
kingdom, and Carl, the former prince
of that country, was made king OF
Roumania. Roumania was given its
independence on the condition that it
should have constitutional form OF
government and no discrimination be
made against any citizen of the cOrln
try because of his religion. This clause
of religious liberty in the constitution
was naturally to affect the Jews of
Roumania as well, but it did not. BY
the intrigues of anti-Semites, aided,
no doubt, by the Russian government.
only 800 out of the half million or so
Jews that were at that time in Rou
mania were naturalized. while the
bulk of the Jews remained aliens and
were treated accordingly. Since the
constitution did not permit the enact
ment of special laws against Jews, all
unjust laws aimed at the Jews were
enacted as laws against aliens.
Since Roumania is an agricultural
country. laws were enacted against
aliens. meaning Jews. that made it I'M
possible for the Jew to earn his live
lihood from the peasant. First a law
was passed that aliens must not re-
side in rural district. Where the Jews.
after being obliged to settle i'll cities,
would nevertheless do business with
the peasants by peddling in rural dis
tricts. a law was passed prohibiting
aliens even to peddle in rural dis
tricts The Jew was then compelled
to develop his business in the cities.
so as to bring the peasant to the city.
but the government put such obsta-
cles in their way that the Jews could
not deal with the peasants even in the
cities. When the Jews introduced in
dustrics that brought them in contact
with the middle classes. laws were en-
acted that made even such industries
Improbable to the Jew.
a Jew. or as he is commonly called.
an alien. is not allowed to employ even
in his own business more than one
third aliens. An alien has no right
of incorporation. This made it impos-
sible for Jews to centraliZe or concen-
trate industries.
When the Jews were hampered in
the business world they turned to pro-
fessions and to public service. But
laws were passed making it impossible
for aliens to practice a profession or
to hold public office. Since many of
the public utilities. such as railroads.
telegraph. etc. are in Roumania ma
tional interests. the Jews could not be
employed or hold Office in any of the
industries that were nationaliZed. OF.
the monopoly of the government In
spite of all these laws the Jew has by
virtue of his superior intellect yet
managed to exist. AS long as the Jew
was able to get an education all the
laws enacted against him were. so to
say. of no avail. Realizing this fact.
the government passed law eXclud-
ing aliens from the public schools.
This law had the desired effect. For
several years the Jew continued to
struggle, but he could no longer en-
dure it. He could withstand all op-
presslvc measures, but not the one de-