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On August 14, 1918, the Rommanian King issued a decree granting autonomy to the Jewish schools in Bessarabia, which was annexed to Roumania in consequence of the war. According to this decree, which was issued in conformity with Roumania’s solemn obligations imposed on her by international treaties, the government would subsidize schools where Jewish subjects would be included in the curriculum. But solemn obligations mean nothing to Roumania, and today the Jewish school system is threatened with complete extermination at the hands of the government.

When the Jews received the government’s assurances that Jewish schools would be permitted tray immediately set to work and created a net of Jewish schools in every part of Bessarabia. A seminary for Jewish teachers, a high school in Kishinet and a school commission to supervise the entire educational activity of the Jewish school system were established.

At first the government regarded these enterprises with approval, for it saw in all this an antidote to the traditions of “Russification” which prevailed when Bessarabia was under Russian sovereignty. But it was not long before the government exposed its treacherous face and began to suppress the Jewish schools. In 1921 the only Jewish government high school, the one in Kishinet, was shut. The Jewish school commission was, after a heated struggle, decreed out of existence. Little by little the Jewish subjects were ordered to be stricken from the curriculum of those Jewish schools which were maintained by the government, while those schools which were supported by the Jews had to eliminate the Jewish national elements from the course of study. It was ordered that at the end of the year all examinations had to be written by the pupils in the Roumanian language and that all schools be kept closed Sunday.

A regular systematic campaign was conducted against the Jewish schools, each day bringing a new circular from the government and each circular being a curtailment of the rights of the Jewish schools and an insult to the national honor of the Jewish people.

In their desperate plight the Jews decided to appeal to the Parliament, for it was thought that if the school satraps trampled on Jewish rights, the highest law making body of the land would not dare to turn its back on sacred pledges made in international treaties.

But here too the Jews were terribly disappointed.

After much excitement and disputing the Parliament adopted a bill in regard to the rights of minorities in Roumania. But it turned out that this hill was valid for every other minority but not for the Jews. And when the Jewish Deputy Fistinger inquired in Parliament about this matter he was told by the Minister of Education that he did not consider the Jews a national minority in Roumania.

This was followed by new restrictions and repressions in regard to the Jewish schools.

The press and public opinion in Roumania took no cognizance of the whole matter. And hence it was startling when the Roumanian Secretary of State, Mr. Totareski, who also has supervision of the National Minority situation in the land, recently came out with a public statement reproaching the Minister ##f Education for his attitude to the Jewish schools and promising to bring the question up before the next meeting of the cabinet.

But it is doubtful whether this was sincere on the part of Mr. Totareski. We are too familiar with the trickery of Roumanian diplomats…”