page_title: Moses Rosen
section_title: His activity and leadership in the years 1960s–1980s
hierarchical_section_title: Moses Rosen / His activity and leadership in the years 1960s–1980s
caption_attribution_description: Română: Rabinul Moses Rosen (1912-1994)
context_page_description: Moses Rosen was Chief Rabbi of RomanianJewry between 1948–1994 and president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania between 1964–1994. He led the community through the entire Communist era in Romania and continued in that role after the restoration of democracy following the Romanian Revolution of 1989. In 1957, he became a deputy in the Romanian parliament, a position he held through the Communist regime, and after 1989, in the democratic parliament. In the 1980s, the Romanian authorities allowed him to receive Israeli nationality and he was elected president of the Council of the Jewish Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv.
context_section_description: In 1964 the Chief Rabbi Moses Rosen added to his functions that of the chairman of the Federation of the Jewish Communities of Romania and kept it until his death.
  The position of Rabbi Rosen got strengthened following the change in the Romanian foreign policy after 1964. The regime of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej in his last days and then the new Romanian Communist leaders, Nicolae Ceaușescu and Ion Gheorghe Maurer were interested in increasing the independence of their country from Soviet Union, and to develop good relations with the West.
  After the big waves of Jewish emigration permitted by the Communist Party in the years 1947–1952 and again in the first years of the 1960s, approx. 40,000 Jews have remained in Romania (in 1956 they were 146,000 as per the official census).
  The Ceauşescu regime decided to strengthen Romania's relations with Israel and with the Jewish communities of the world, especially the United States in order to benefit economically and politically. In fact, even earlier, since the 1950s Israel and western Jewish organizations were ready to help economically the Romanian state for the opening of the emigration gates. This time, during the 1970s and 1980s, they were also allowed to help the local Jewish communal life. With the authorization of the regime and with the help (after 1967) of the Joint Distribution Committee an entire network of institution was founded, such as old-age homes, kosher canteens, medical and social assistance to ill and needy. A Jewish cultural life also flourished, with summer camps for the Jewish youth, Talmud Torah and Hebrew language courses, series of concerts and lectures on Jewish themes.
  In 1979 he founded, again with the permission of the Romanian regime, the Museum of the history of the Romanian Jews, in the building of "Unirea Sfântă" Jewish Temple in Bucharest.
  The activity of Rabbi Rosen in those years, with the silent approval of the regime, from encouraging the emigration to Israel, to the study of the Hebrew language and Jewish traditions and values, to managing the social work network for the Jewish population, won esteem among the Jewish leaders in the world, who praised him for his leadership and diplomatic abilities.
  On one occasion, the chief rabbi of England, Sir Immanuel Jakobowitz expressed his enthusiastic admiration for Rosen's achievements. 
  Rabbi Rosen, who always felt like a proud Jew, while still being well acquainted with the Romanian culture, became one of Romania's important non-official "ambassadors" on the international scene. (As did other minority religious leaders, for example the Muslim mufti of the Romanian Turks and Tatars, Yakub Mehmet who became one of his country's speakers during his visits in Arab and Muslim countries)
  In the 1970s he participated in the efforts of the Bucharest regime to obtain the status of Most favoured nation for Romania's trade relations with the USA.
  In March 1979, Rabbi Rosen and Patriarch Justinian, head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, jointly sponsored a Jewish and Orthodox Christian Dialogue in Lucerne, Switzerland.
  In the same spirit, he maintained very good relations with the Armenian bishop of Bucharest, who later became the Patriarch Catholicos of Armenia, Vazgen I.
  A public square in Jerusalem is named after Rabbi Rosen and his wife Amalia.
caption: Moses Rosen in 1981
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