Sephardic Jews in Romania
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| <1,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Bucharest | |
| Languages | |
| Ladino, Yiddish, Romanian | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sephardic Jews |
Sephardic Jews have played an important historical role in Romania, although their numbers in the country have dwindled to a few hundred, with most living in the capital, Bucharest.
History
Origins
Many Sephardic Jews began settling in Wallachia in the 16th century, although there is evidence they began settling in Romania as early as 1496 following the Spanish Inquisition.[1] They arrived through the Ottoman Empire, which was more welcoming towards Jewish immigration than other countries in Europe at the time.
Communities
In 1730, following advice of Jews Daniel de Fonseca and Celebi Mentz Bali, the then-ruler of Wallachia, Nicolae Mavrocordat, formally allowed Sephardic Jews to organize themselves into communities. Since then, according to historian Iuliu Barasch, many Sephardim from the Ottoman Empire began settling in Romania. However, it was not until 1819 that the first synagogue was built in the capital, Cahal Grande, with reforms by Rabbis Eliezer Papu and Damascus Eliezer.
References
- ^ Toma, Cristina. "Bucuresti, panorama sefarda/Bucharest a sephardic outlook". Sephardic Studies – via Academia.edu.