Jewish Bucharest: An Impression

On the banks of the Dâmbovița, a tributary of the Danube, Jews have lived in Bucharest for centuries. 

As I walk out of the airport, the sweltering heat is overpowering: it’s summer in Bucharest.

At this time of year, temperatures often pass the 100 mark in the Romanian capital. I’m here for two reasons: one is to participate in a group trip, the other is because I want to find out more about Jewish life in this corner of Eastern Europe.

In the 15th century, the Citadel of Buchureşti was home to the notorious Vlad the Impaler (on whom the classic story of Count Dracula may or may not be based -historians are in two minds). Initially built as a bastion against Turkish imperialism, the city emerged as capital of the kingdom of Wallachia in 1659.  And when Wallachia and Moldavia combined in 1862, it became the capital of the Romanian United Principalities.

Paris of the East 
A century followed in which the city faced a succession of disasters and plagues. But there was also an age of progress: by the 1920s, Bucharest was flourishing with horse-drawn trams and electricity, and new architecture in the style of Haussmann’s Paris. Indeed, the Romanian capital was known as ‘Micul Paris’, Little Paris. The Paris of the East.

Walking around downtown Bucharest, the buildings could evidently do with a lick of paint. There’s something sad about this city. Beggars sit in the street, a well-positioned bowl waiting for passersby to leave a few coins or bills. Further along, a man has arranged a selection of objects on a bench. Odds and ends apparently salvaged from other people’s trash. He tells me he’s selling them because he’s hungry. I’m moved by his strength and creativity, so for a few leu (a dollar is roughly 5 leu) I buy what appears to be a marathon medal. Down the street, past the Korean supermarket there are coffee houses where they serve exclusive Colombian coffee. The city seems determined to be a modern metropolis, even if it’s still struggling with its socio-economic history. Later, my Romanian friend explains that things have improved considerably since the country joined the European Union in 2007.

Jews in Bucharest
In the 16th century, many Jewish exiles from Spain settled in Romania. In fact, their story is similar to the Jewish experience elsewhere in Europe: here too, wealthy Jews were bankers to the local princes and paid a tribute in taxes for permission to stay. Later, Ashkenazy Jews came to Romania from Poland and Ukraine, arriving through neighboring Moldavia in the 18th century in the wake of the Khmelnitsky pogroms. As time passed, the Ashkenazy population outgrew the Sephardic.

The first synagogues in Bucharest were shtiebels: small domestic places of worship. Later, as the Jewish community’s economic position improved, plans were laid for a more elegant building. The Synagoga Mare, or ‘Great Synagogue’, is a beautifully decorated baroque-rococo building.

Synagogue Mare. Photo credits: Anne O.

The rift that divided Ashkenazy Jewry, came to Bucharest too: part of the community supported the call for reform and embraced the spirit of the Haskala, the Jewish Enlightenment. One of the leaders of this movement in Romania was Dr Iuliu Barasch, originally from Habsburg Austria-Hungary, but later a fervent Romanian patriot. He launched the first Jewish magazine in Romania: Israelitul Român. Yet others in the community followed Me’ir Leib Malbim, known simply as the Malbim, a celebrated Torah scholar. He was vehemently opposed to changes in the synagogue service.

Synagogues
On my to-do-list is the Jewish Museum in the Cartierul Evreiesc: the old Jewish quarter. When the taxi drops me off at the museum (Templul Unirea Sfanta -Ahdut Kodesh), two men are waiting in front of the building.

Instead of the regular museum that I was expecting, the setting is informal and I’m treated to a mini tour. This synagogue was originally where tailors worshipped. There’s a statue made of scissors to prove the point.

The ‘Tailor’s synagogue from inside’. Photo credits: Anne O.

Photo credits: Anne O.

Across one of Bucharest’s avenues is the impressive Coral Synagogue (Templul Coral), built between 1864 and 1866. The fashion at that time was for romantic orientalism – the Levant was all the rage in art and architecture. Hence it was built in Moorish-Byzantian style. In fact, the name of the synagogue has nothing to do with its orange-pink hue. ‘Coral’ refers to the synagogue’s choir. Today, Templul Coral remains an active synagogue and continues to hold regular services.

The Coral Synagogue. Photo credits: illanphotos.com

Notable people
While maybe not natives of Bucharest, several Romanian Jews have risen to prominence over the years. One of the most celebrated is Elie Wiesel, who wrote about his experiences during the Holocaust, and of course poet Paul Celan. Various Israeli artists, like Shlomo Artzi, and politicians such as Benny Gantz, have Romanian ancestry. And Romania is also where several major Hassidic groups originated, the Satmar from Satu Mare for instance, and Klausenberg from Cluj Napoca, and Spinka from Săpânța. Romania has also been home to talented painters, such as Constantin Daniel Rosenthal, M.H. Maxy, Arthur Segal and Margareta Sterian. 

Today
After the Second World War, many Jews who had survived the Holocaust came to Bucharest. At one time, a community of 150,000 Jews existed. Then, when Romania became a communist state in 1947, religious freedom was suppressed: communism went hand in hand with totalitarianism, which requires uniformity. As the new regime took control, many Jews migrated to Israel. Today, the Jewish state is home to a large number of people of Romanian descent. In 1989,  Romania’s communist government collapsed. Today, most of the country’s Jewish community consists of elderly people.

As I walk through Bucharest, there are all kinds of interesting sights to see: a Romanian-Orthodox church, full of colorful, detailed frescos, and a Russian-Orthodox church. I take a sip of water and put some more sunscreen on my face. I’m glad I had a chance to get a glimpse of this interesting country.