Rumanian Jewish leaders today expressed dissatisfaction with the recent decision of the government to abolish the minority status of the Jewish population, in statements to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Dr. William Filderman, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities, said that he disagrees with the theory of the Minister of Nationalities Gheorghe Vladesou-Racoasa that Jews are neither a minority or a nationality. Dr. Filderman pointed out that the minority status of Rumania’s Jews had been guaranteed in the peace settlement following World War I.
Dr. Abraham L. Zissu, president of the Jewish National Party, and a prominent Zionist leader, also voiced objections to the government’s new policy. “We are, and will be Jews,” Mr. Zissu stated, “and as Rumanian subjects we are ready to offer the Rumanian State all our loyalty and devotion.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with a Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent, the Minister of Nationalities explained the Government’s reasons for adopting a new policy on minorities. The Minister of Nationalities, incidentally, was formerly called the Ministry of Minorities.
Mr. Vladescu-Racoasa disclosed that he is drafting a new “nationalities charter” from which the “notion of ethnic origin” will be expunged. Every citizen will be treated equally by the government. This move, he said, will help to smash anti-Semitic group within the country.
At the same time, he expressed the belief that the existence of a Jewish National Party was a “mistake,” but stressed that the present Rumanian Government had no intention of suppressing it. Jews, Mr. Vladescu-Racoasa continued, need only a democratically organized community to represent their interests, and, therefore, the General Jewish Council, formed recently with representation of most Jewish parties, need be only a temporary organization.
Under the new charter, the minister said, Jews will have the privilege of choosing any nationality they desire. Consequently, the Government will not hamper Zionist activities and will place no obstacles in the way of Jews desiring to emigrate. He voiced the hope that a Jewish State will soon be formed, with which Rumania can have friendly relations.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
