Who are the Jews?
- a short introduction
www. tikvahedu.ro
Jews around the world
Some facts
•
Jews are an ethnic and religious grouping
•
Currently estimated 14 million Jews in the world, with over 80%
being in Israel and the United States
•
There are about 1.5 million Jews in Europe, the largest numbers are
in France, the UK and Germany
•
In Romania there are just a few thousand Jews
Where did they come from?
Location
According to the Bible Abraham led his people from the city of Ur to Canaan about 1900 BCE and stayed
there for about 100 years and organized themselves into the famous 12 Tribes. About 1800 BCE a
drought began, forcing the Hebrews to move to Egypt. Many years later, following enslavement in
Egypt, Moses led them (out of slavery) across the Sinai Desert back to Canaan. Moses died shortly before
they arrived, but Joshua led them safely to what they called "the Promised Land."
Timeline
• c. 1300-1200 BC: The Israelites enter the land of Canaan: the age of the
Judges starts
• c. 1050-1010: The Israelites establish a kingdom, first under Saul (c.10501010) and then under David (c.1010-970)
• c. 970: David's son Solomon becomes king. He builds the Temple in
Jerusalem
• c. 931: After Solomon's death, Israel divides into two kingdoms: Judah in
the south, Israel in the north
When did they leave and
where did they go?
Early invasions
When your country is invaded you may choose to leave it, but often you are
forced to leave it.
• 722 (BCE) - The Assyrians
The Assyrians, a powerful people from northern Mesopotamia
(today northern Iraq), invaded the northern Kingdom of Israel and deported
the Jews to other parts of the Assyrian Empire
• 586 (BCE) - The Babylonians
After the fall of the Assyrian Empire the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar II,
conquered Jerusalem. The most influential Jews of Judea were deported to
Babylon (today Iraq)
• 538 (BCE) - The Persians
King Cyrus of Persia (today Iran) conquered the entire Babylonian Empire,
allowed the exiled Jews to return from Babylon, and accepted a form of
Jewish home rule in Jerusalem
Later invasions
• 332 (BCE) - The Greeks
Greek-Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great destroyed the Persian Empire
and gained control over Judea. After the death of Alexander his Hellenistic
(Greek) Empire was divided into three parts, and the Jews were squeezed
between the competing Greek rulers.
• 63 (BCE) - The Roman Conquest
Romans conquered the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire and later the Romans
turned Judea into an ordinary Roman province.
•
66- 70 CE and 132-136 CE – Rebellions and eventual disappearance of
Israel There followed a succession of Jewish rebellions during which the
Romans destroyed Jerusalem and later renamed the territory “Palaestina”.
Early migrations
Source: http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com/7.23
Jewish presence on
Romanian territory
Some facts
• The first material records (artefacts) of Jewish presence of the territory of
Dacia date back to the Roman occupation period; Jews probably arrived on
this territory together with the Roman legions.
• 12-13th centuries – Jews from Hungary moved towards Moldavia and Țara
Românească to escape persecution.
• 14-15th centuries – Jews cross Moldavia, Țara Românească and Bukovina
both for commerce and to act as mediators of the Ottoman diplomacy.
Jews were, in many cases, mediators between Romanian rulers and
Western Christianity.
• Documents confirm the settlement of Jews in Bucharest in 1550 and a little
later in Iași.
• Jews in Transylvania: 2000 in 1766 rising to 4166 in 1789
Jewish presence on
Romanian territory
Some facts
• In Maramureș, after 1800, Jews gain the right to own land and so they
become shepherds and peasant farmers (as well as merchants and
tradesmen).
• Main trades carried on by Jews: pottery, metal and wood working,
tailoring.
Education remained a constant priority for the Jewish population.
For the first time since their settlement in the Carpatho-Danubian regions,
Jews gained civil rights under the Constitution of Romania in 1923 (rights
which were subsequently restricted and cancelled through measures
adopted during the dictatorial regimes occurring after 1938).
Were they always
welcomed?
Diaspora and expulsions
Source: http://libguides.wustl.edu/
Expulsions
Some examples
• 13th Century - Jews expelled from England
• 14th Century - Jews expelled from France
• 15th Century - Jews expelled from Spain
• 16th Century - Jews expelled from Saxony and Prague
• 17th Century - Jews expelled from France (again) and Vienna
• 18th Century - Jews expelled from Ukraine/Russian provinces
• 19th Century - Jews expelled from Moscow
Discrimination
As well as expelling Jews, many countries encouraged discrimination against
Jews. Here are some examples of things Jews were not allowed to have or do:
Nazi persecution and the
Holocaust
The persecution progression
Under Nazi rule from 1933, Jews suffered increased persecution year by year and
were banned from taking part in normal life. 1938 saw the first outbreak of mass
violence against Jews in ”Kristallnacht”, the night of broken glass.
Source: www.yadvashem.org
Worse was to come as the Nazi regime began implementation of their Final
Solution to what they called “the Jewish question”.
The Final Solution
• A plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish peoples in Nazioccupied Europe through genocide
• To be achieved through:
• mobile gassing vans, mass shootings
• forced labour of able-bodies Jews until of no commercial value
• detention in concentration camps until death by hunger or disease
• detention in extermination camps until of no labour value when
murdered by gassing
• By the end of World War II it is estimated that 6 million Jews lost their lives
Persecution in Romania
Summary
• During the Octavian Goga government rule (December 1937 – February
1938) anti-Semitism became State policy. For example, the withdrawal of
citizenship from 225,222 Jews.
• Anti-Jewish measures are maintained during the Royal dictatorship
(February 1938 – September 1940) and are complemented by new ones,
such as the confiscation of land owned by Jews in rural areas.
• In September 1940, Ion Antonescu becomes Head of the Romanian State
and continues repressive measures against the Jews in conjunction with the
Legionary Movement (the Iron Guard). Antonescu later crushes the
Legionnaires in January 1941, but not before a massacre of Jews takes place
in Bucharest. Antonescu continues to act as the Head of State until 1944
and during his rule the Iași pogrom and deportations of Jews from
Bessarabia and Bukovina (in 1942) take place to Transnistria.
Commemoration days
• 27 January – as of 2005, the United Nations designated this day as
International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the
Holocaust. This day in 1945 saw the liberation of Auschwitz (in occupied
Poland) by Soviet troops.
• 9 October – Romanian National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust. This
day marks the beginning of the Romanian deportations of Jews to
Transnistria in 1942.
• There are annual commemoration events in cities and towns in the
northern part of Transylvania, which was under Hungarian rule between
1940-44 and from where Jews were deported to Auschwitz
Memorials
Eva Heyman Memorial created in
memory of Jewish children
deported from Oradea to
Auschwitz (a volunteer project of
Asociatia Tikvah).
Sculptor: Flor Kent
Location: Bălcescu Park, Oradea
Holocaust Memorial, Bucharest
Architect: Peter Jacobi
Jewish culture
A short overview
Jewish identity is defined by:
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•
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•
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A distinct (monotheistic) religion
A distinct set of traditions, holidays, rituals, calendar
A distinct language (Hebrew)
A set of community values
A common outlook on what is considered their historic homeland – Israel
Jewish calendar
The teachings of the Torah provide rules on how everyday day life
should be conducted (religious life, household customs, rules on
education, children’s upbringing, birth, marriage, funeral traditions and
more).
Inevitably, variations in the cultures of the Jewish peoples have also
been influenced by their host nations.
A person can be Jewish by birth or by conversion and traditionally,
Jewish status passes through the mother.
Reading from the Torah
Reading from the Torah
Jewish images
Menorah
Kippah
Mezuzah
Orthodox Synagogue in Oradea
Yad
Bibliography
• Victor Neumann, Istoria evreilor din România
• http://www.yadvashem.org
• http://www.inshr-ew.ro/ro/holocaustul-din-romania/etape-aleholocaustului.html
• http://www.timemaps.com/civilization/ancient-israel#overview
• http://schooltoolbox1.weebly.com/hebrews.html
• http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com/7.23
• Shalom! On Judaism and Jewish Life, exhibition produced by
Asociatia Tikvah
• http://libguides.wustl.edu/
Resource produced by Asociatia
Tikvah
With financial support from:
Joods Humanitair Fonds
Bernard Charitable Trust