The Denver Jewish news., 1923-12-06
BLOOD LIBEL GHOST STILL
STALKS IN ROUMANIA.
BY A. RosENBLATT.

iN III
the new Roumanian territory acquired
after the war. While ii belonged tt
Hungary il troubled itself about moth
ing but its vineyards. The population
never took any part in the political
conflicts of their former Fatherland
| although il was situated in the district
of Bihar, the ancestral home of the
Counts TiaZ.. Who l...vo always played
great part in the political life of
| Hungary and who have led their coun-
| tryment to share in their activities.
However, this purely Hungarian dis
mania, aud the new masters have been
cautious in their behavior they are
conscious of dealing with foreign
element, and hope 10 induce them TO
forget their old Fatherlnnd
The town of Ermihalyfalva Is near
he village of TisZaeslar. which must
he we'll known. because il was here in
the eighties that the Jews We're ac-
F,szter Solymossy, for ritual purposes.
Those were anxious days, and the ac-
cusers went steadily forward. intent
on proving their assertions. 1t was
only nfter weeks of investigation and
proceedings in the law courts that it
was shown, in spite of the statements
of instructed witnesses, that the ale
CATION Of ritual murder was as untrue
in this instance as in all others in
which at various times and places ii
has been brought forward. The peo-
pie Of Ermihalyfalva troubled neither
then nor afterwards about the matter; !;
they had no dispute with their Jewish
ncishbors: n common lot held them
together. and the solidarity of the past
persisted when the town was trans
ferrcd to foreign rule. This peace was
disturbed Suddenly by the myth of n
ritual murder 1t is easy to see. how
ever. why this tale was invented. and
TO whose interest it appeared advan-
'iageous to antagonizc different sections
of the population.
A few weeks previously, some dozen
or so young Roumanians appeared in
the town. They attracted. attention.
1t was first supposed that they had
been sent by -thc Roumanian govern
ment to carry ont measures of agrar-
ian reform. But after a few days it
became clear that this was not what
occupied them. Then fantastic rumOrs
began to spread. In the spring the
Jews started to build their synngOg.
and it was now nearly completed.
People began to say. at first In the
smaller inns, and later in the market
places and wherever the less educated
people gathered together. that the
Jews intended to murder Christian
children. and to consecrate their new
temple with their blood. These ru-
mors were spread by the newly-arrived
Young Roumanians. 1t appeared that
these young men belonged to the Rou-
manian Fascist. the organization un-
der the leadership of Professor Cuza.
of Jassy university. the advance post
of the anti-Semites.
This organization instigates the
holding Of ant-Jewish demonstrations
at the universities, and has been the
medium of agitation for the intrOduc-
tiOn of the Roumanian numerus clau-
sus. according to which all who ma
triculatc must pass an examination in
the Roumanian Language. literature,
history and geography. This prescrip-
tion affects not only the Jews, but all
the national minorities, who form, il
taken together, n majority as compared
with the Roumanians. All the horrible
misdeeds committed against the Jews
in BesSarabia are to he ascribed to
Cuza-atrocities which have been con-
demned by the press of the whole
world.
With the appearance of these fol-
lowers of Cuza in Ermihalyfalva, anti
Jewish feeling developed rapidly. At
first the supposed plans of the Jews
were discussed in whispers: later the
talk became more open. and the Jews
had to take notice of it. The more
prominent Jews at once approached the
officials and asked for protection.
Nothing was done. however. in this re-
gard. The ahti-Jewish feeling grew
more intense. the people more aggrcs-
sive. Some Of the Jewish families de-
termined to leave for the neighboring
town of Grosswardcin tOradea Mare).
Others remained ut home, being as
surcd by the bctter-class peasants that
if pogrom occurred. they would pro-
tcct them. one reason for this prom
Use was that it was clear to those who
pondered the matter that the Rouman-
ians who had hitherto been unable to-
detnch the Jews from their Hungarian