Jewish Communities in Roumania Receive New Status by Government

Single Community Principle Recognized; To Convoke Congress (J. T. A. Mail Service)

New regulations for the organization of the Jewish communities in Roumania were published by the “Monitorul Official” on November 9, the day the Maniu Government came into power.

The Jewish community is recognized as the assembly of all Jews and the Jewish religious institutions (synagogues, prayer-houses, etc.) and Jewish cultural and social aid institutions. Several communities may unite in order to create a joint organization. There may be only one community in each locality, to which all Jews in the locality automatically belong. Only the Spagnol communities of Old Roumania, and the Orthodox Communities of Transylvania continue to exist as hitherto. Each community is entitled to one or more Rabbis. The Rabbis must be Roumanian citizens, save in exceptional cases. The existing communities are required to change their statutes in accordance with the present regulations, and to submit them for approval to the Ministry of Public Worship before March 1, 1929.

Where there are no Jewish communities, the Ministry of Public Worship will see that they are organized within six months.

The sale of kosher meat and the manufacture of Matzoth may be carried on only by a permit issued by the Jewish Community and under the supervision of the Rabbi. The Jewish Communities have the right to organize themselves in Federations. All the Jewish Communities constitute the general Jewish Congress, which will have to prepare the statutes for the organization of the Jewish faith in Roumania, the election of a representative of the Jewish faith to the Senate, and in general the assistance and representation of the Jewish faith.

The first Congress will be convoked by the Ministry of Public Worship within a year from the date of this promulgation. The various Jewish communities will be represented at the Congress in proportion to the numbers of their members.