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Head of Roumanian Jews Files Protest Against Government Attitude on Cuza’s Insult

May 25, 1930
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A heated protest against the recent insult to the Jewish religion in the Roumanian parliament by the anti-Semitic leader, Professor Cuza, is contained in a second memorandum, submitted by Dr. William Filderman, president of the Union of Roumanian Jews, to the president of parliament.

Dr. Filderman declares that he read with the greatest amazement Cuza’s word in Parliament that “the Jewish religion is criminal and its followers criminals. Parliament’s primary duty is to respect the law and not to permit the religion of citizens to be insulted, moreover, when the constitution guarantees protection to all religions.

“If a deputy had called a colleague a criminal he would have been compelled to withdraw the words or be punished. This should have happened when a deputy insults a religion that is thousands of years old. If a deputy had spoken similarly of the Christian religion he would either have been torn to pieces or severely punished, but the members would not have been satisfied with presidium of the parliament merely rejecting Cuza’s allegation.

“We Jews are insulted not because of what Cuza said. We despise him, because in his youth he spoke similarly of his own religion. What insulted us was the incomprehensible attitude of parliament and the government in this matter, giving the impression of government sympathy with Cuza’s work. We demand satisfaction.”

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