Only Assimilation Can Solve Jewish Problem in Roumania, Says Leader of Roumanian Delegation

That assimilation by the Jews in Roumania to the point where they would become “Roumanians of the Mosaic persuasion” would be the best solution to the Jewish problem in that country, is the opinion of Professor Nicolae Serban, professor at the University of Jassy and head of the group of twenty-eight Roumanians who arrived in the United States, at the invitation of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, for the purpose of studying American educational methods. In his interview with the representative of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Professor Serban also emphatically objected to what he termed “foreign intervention” on the part of Jews of other countries in an effort to solve the Jewish problem in Roumania.

“Please tell the Jewish organizations in this country,” Prof. Serban said, “that if the Roumanian-Jewish relations are to improve it can only be accomplished by negotiations between the Roumanian Jews themselves and the government. Any attempt by foreign Jews to exert pressure or intervene in any way can only produce friction and make the solution of the problem more difficult. The Roumanian government shows her good will to the Jews and has every desire to live at peace with them.”

The source of the Jewish problem in Roumania, Prof. Serban contended, was to be found not in Old Roumania but in the new provinces acquired since the war, Bessarabia and Transylvania.” The Jews in Old Roumania,” he said, “are not having any difficulties. They are loyal patriotic Roumanians, they are assimilated so that the only difference between them and us is their religion, and they are living on equal terms with all the other citizens. But in the new provinces the situation is different. The Jews here are strangers who were formerly under foreign rule. They speak a different language, they do not understand Roumania. Whereas all the Jews in Old Roumania are our friends, it is not so in the new provinces.”

Regarding the language question, Professor Serban stated that the Roumanian government was ready to abide by the provisions of the Lausanne treaty but the Jews have been unable to arrive at an agreement among themselves as to the language to be used in their schools. “Some ask for Hebrew, some for Yiddish,” he said. “The Jews in Old Roumania are opposed to anything but the Roumanian language, while there are those, in Transylvania, who insist on Hungarian. In view of the absence of unanimity among the Jews, the Roumanian government naturally wants the Jews to use the Roumanian language. It is my own opinion,” Prof. Serban explained, “that the Jews should institute Roumanian only in their schools. This would help greatly toward their assimilation in thought and ideas with the Roumanian people and it would do away with the barriers which now exist. I and many others in Roumania believe that the ideal state of affairs will be reached when all the Jews in Roumania will have dropped the present foreign traits which characterize some of them and will become ‘Roumanians of the Mosaic persuasion’.”

Asked whether the Roumanian government was doing anything to suppress the anti-Semitic movement of Cuza, Professor Serban declared: “The Roumanian government bases its actions on the national constitution, which gives Jewish citizens of Roumania the same rights as all the other citizens. But there are no provisions in the constitution or the laws of the country against anti-Semitic activity as such. The government, however, has endeavored to make Cuza harmless by bringing about his ousting from his position at the university, so that now his work no longer has effect on the students. The government had to resort to a subterfuge to oust Cuza. As there was no legal ground for causing his dismissal, the entire body of professors at the university was asked to resign. The government thereupon accepted only Cuza’s resignation.”

Prof. Serban belittled Cuza’s influence. “In Roumania, as elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the war resulted in a recrudescence of anti-Semitism. But in Roumania this movement has been limited to a small group. It is natural that Cuza should find some support among the stupid peasants, but the extent of his influence can be seen from the fact that of 350 deputies in the Parliament, Cuza’s party has but nine seats. The Roumanian people at large laugh at Cuza’s nonsense,” Prof. Serban declared.