Evening star., 1940-08-09
Jews in Rumania
Lose Many Rights
In Drastic DEGREES
Most Of 100000 Deprived
Of Citizenship, Profession
And Property Privileges
BY LELAND STOWE,

BY LELAND STOWE,
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent
BUCHAREST, Aug. 8 (By Radio
Under the drastic anti-Semitic
decree published here today, a ma
jority of Rumania's 100000 Jews are
deprived of all normal rights of citi-
Zenship as we'll as all normal free
dom to exercise a profession, own
property, or earn a living on either
democratic or Aryan standards.
Rumania now becomes a country
in which there are four classes of
citizenship. In addition to the un-
restricted privileges returned to all
Rumanians without Semitic blood,
three categories of rights and COM
pulsions have been established for
Jewish citizens. The limitations i'm
posed on non-Aryans are calcu-
latedly severe and may have un-
predictible repercussions upon the
nations economy.
Nevertheless, the Gigurtu govern
ment's DEGREES are much less sweep
ing than the anti-Semitic measures
taken in Hitler's Reich. They offer
special consideration for lifelong
Jewish residents and to all those
who fought for Rumania in the
World War 1t is also noteworthy
that six-months' transition period
has been granted for Jews whose
economic activities will be elimi-
mated or reduced and that this
term may be prolonged for reasons
Of national or general economic
interest"
This provision is obviously de-
signed to prevent repetition of the
catastrophe business slump which
was precipitated by the Goga gov
ernment's brief plunge into whole
sale anti-Semitic legislation two
years ago.
Many observers are convinced the
loopholes in the new DEGREES have
been approved, If not suggested, by
Berlin to insure that Rumania's s
contribution to Germany's war
waging strength will not be dimin-
ished by any appreciable degree
Presumably, the intensity OF apph-
cation of the Gigurtu DEGREES will
be determined by economic and
political circumstances.
Rumanian Jews are now divided
into the following categories:
l. Those who entered Rumania
since December, 1918.
2. Those who were naturalized
before that date or were collec-
lively naturalized under pre- World
War Laws or who either served in
the great war or are descendants
of men who died bearing Rumanian
arms.
g. All Jews not included in the
first two categories.
The most favorable status is ac-
corded those Jews who fall into
category 2, and their number is
estimated as fairly large However,
an undoubted majority of Ru-
mania's non-Aryans undoubtedly
must be classified in the first and
third categories. The DEGREES pro-
vide that Jews in these classifica-
tions are prohibited from a long
list Of functions. They cannot hold
jobs as civil servants, exercise legal
or liberal professions, serve as ad-
ministrators of any kind of busi-
ness enterprise, be merchants in
rural communities, serve in the
army, manage theaters, be editors
or distributors of printed matter, or
be connected with national sports
organizations. They are also pro-
hibited from being guardians or
caretakers Of ''incapacitated Chris
tians'
Way Open to Labor Conscription.
The military obligations of all
Jews except those in the privileged
second category are significantly
transformed into fiscal obligations"
based upon the material position of
the individual Jews. The same
article further provides that obliga-
ton for military service may be
transformed into a Labor obliga-
ton" for the benefit OF the state
and that such work may be appor-
toned, according to individual capa-
city.
These provisions would legalize the
extreme taxation of a great many
non-Aryans and would open the door
for the establishment of Jewish labor
battalions assigned indefinitely to
manual labor on public works.
The DEGREES state that no Jew can
acquire rural property and author
ICES the minister of agriculture to
appropriate rural land holdings "for
purposes of public utility"-a phrase
capable of extremely broad inter-
probation. On the other hand, it is
provided that Jews who have a legal
right to state pensions will retain
their pensions. A decree forbidding
marriages between Rumanians and
Jews is part of the general scheme.
(Copyrisht. 1910. by Chicago Daily News.)