Immigration and settlement of the Jews in Bukowina

   Very important and of historical decisive importance in the history of the Jews of Bukowina is the question of their  o r i g i n  To solve this problem we have to take into account the origin of all the Jews in modern Rumania, in view of the fact that this province  was a part of Moldavia before being  of  incorporated by the Austrians and was a integral part of it. We will therefore, establish a research about the origin and the point in time when the first Jews settled in Rumania. In this context, we will have to answer two questions:

1. Since when are there Jews on the land of modern Rumania and from which regions did they come?

2. Do the modern Jews descend directly from them or is there no genealogical relation with them? I.e. could we establish through many centuries a continuos residence or will this chain be interrupted throughout the time and perhaps other immigration will occur during the centuries?

The moment of their first settlement in the regions of today's Rumania can be established by the progression of  Jewish emigration from Palestine and the dispersion to other countries.

During the expulsion of the 10 tribes and the destroying of the first temple, the Jewish left, as known in exile to Babylon and Assyria, were most of them stayed on also after the building of the second temple, whereas only a small part returned to Palestine. From there the first mass colonization outside Palestine spread further, where they traveled partly to the east to India, partly to the nord to Armenia and to the coastal countries of the Black Sea, where intensive commercial trade was created. Many Jews went to Rome during the period where inter-Jewish conflicts abounded between the various thrones and the country turned more and more to a roman province. In Rome they created a Jewish colony. Many went to the commercial centers in the middle east and Greece according to many records to be found in the Talmud and the Midrash, as well as at the coastal cities in the nord and nord-west of the black sea. Indeed it was also confirmed by the inscriptions found of the presence of Jews in the Trakean Cherones and coastal cities in Nord and Nord-west of the Black Sea: Anapa, Pantkapaion (today's Kertsch) and Olbia. Here as well we can rely on written evidence, as are the declarations of the Greek Geograph Strabo, telling that there was no city at the beginning of the first century before Christ which did not have Jews, or in the words of Philo Judaeus, the Jewish leader of the Alexandria Jewish-embassy to the roman emperor Caligula that Jews can be found living  "in the most inadequate bays of the Black Sea". Facts which also find confirmation in the inscriptions found. Lastly many Jews escaped because of the destruction of the second Temple mostly to the near Middle-east or even further nord. The rest went as prisoners to Italy, Rome. Here we do not take into account Diaspora in Egypt and its big center in Alexandria as this is not being considered for our research.

We see therefore, that even before the conquest and destruction of Jerusalem through Titus, in the region of the Black Sea in the first century before Christ, and the one around the Danube were under the Dacia reign up to the estuary of the bug (the city Olbia) and included the currently Rumania where because of the fertile land and commercial possibilities many Jews established themselves. We conclude as well that Jews were living in the regions bordering Roumania as was told by the apostles, especially from Paulus, who made his target to proclaim Christianity to the Jews. He reached Makedonia up to Philippi and Saloniky, in Greece up to Berhoa to establish there the first Christian settlements in Europe. The roumanian historian Bogdan Petriceu Hasdeu even states that Jews were in Rumania during the Haschmonean time and build his theory on the fact that he found Jewish coins from the time of the Maccabians in Hotin in the current Besarabia, which confirms in my opinion that the presence of  Jews during that early time cannot be excluded.

As the Nord and Nordwest of the Black Sea to which also Dobrogea and the region of outlet of the Danube belong were big movement centers in that time. According to accounts as well as inscriptions found it was clear that Jews lived there so we have to fix the origin of a solid Jewish settlement at this point of time, if it did not occur earlier. In fact many historian agree that Jews settled the region around the Danube during the era of the Dako-romans. We face now the second question about the continuity of Jews on the land of Rumania, and we will try to follow further the development line of Jews in this region.

When the Romans conquered Dacia the Jewish merchants came with them into the country. A fact which was confirmed by inscriptions found regarding the existence and presence of Iturian cohorts and even authenticated by the not very objective Rumanian historian and politician Prof. Nicolae Jorga as "very authentic". The presence of Jews  in this region during the roman occupancy can be therefore proven as h i s t o r i c  evidence. The Romans remain here till the year 270. Then they clear the land on the left side of the Danube and leave it to the Goths and remain on the right shore where Jews also lived. They named the region  "Aurelianic Dacia" to differentiate it from the one they left behind named the "Trojanic Dacia". It is diffcult to establish whether the Romans took the Jews with them when they left, or if they stayed behind. Most probably did a great part accompany them and populated the "Aurelian Dacia". On the other hand if we consider that they did not stand against the hordes of barbarians and were used to endure suffering and did not want to excite the enemy, seeing the situation of other countries as fairly unsure and sad, so we can assume that most of them stayed behind in the nothern part named "Trojan Dacia" where they had good relations with the Goths and the Roman/Greek cultural world and were well treated.
 

We can state that the Jews on the other side of the Danube in the roman-aurelian Dacia lived under the Christian emperors, because under Theodosius I, in the year 379 the governor was ordered to stop the persecution of Jews and to guard their temples and houses. Moreover did we find that Justinian 527-565 built among other fortresses on this side of the Danube in Turnu-Magurele the Tower of Jews, which be itself indicated that there were Jews living there. As well indicate his drakonian and severe laws in his collection of laws against Jews the presence of Jews there. A little later we hear about the persecution of Jews under Leo – the Isauri (722), who put them before the alternative either to convert or to leave the country. These laws which endanger their existence, forced them to emmigrate, and many, who would not convert flee into the region of today's Roumania or crossed the Danube and found shelter with the Chazars who converted to Judaism during the 8th century. We observe here the continuos existence of Jews in the regions of the Danube and in the lands on the Black Sea, which is now strengthen through the presence of the Chazarian Jews. A immigration of Jews from the right Bulgarian shore of the Danube to the left Rumanian shore and an increase of the presence of the Jews living there, specially in the dynasty of the Asanides (1180). We don't hear anything more for a time, until Bejamin von Tudela the Jewish geographer of the twelfth century brings some news about the Jewish settlements. He found 50 Jewish families in Makedonia on the river Sperchio headed by two patriarchs Jakob and Salomon living in best relations with the Walachs, so that they called these Jews "Brothers" (1165-1173).

 These documents, accounts and indications let us reach the result that the Jews existed and inhabitated under the Dako-Rumanian and Walachians, which we can count as the ancestors of today's Rumanians – as the ethnic connection between south and north Rumanians was still unbroken – and could be found since the period of the roman conquer and in later periods in these regions near  Rumania and the Danube. There were surely also Jews in the regions of today's Rumania who remained after the evacuation of the Romans, or who originate from the chazarian Jews as we can find them after the retirement of the Tatars from Rumania. They were mentioned already in 1330 in Akkerman (Cetatea-Alba) where they lived in a specially build city-quarter under the reign of the Tatars, who were tolerant and had good business relations with the Jews. The Rumanian historian Prof. Jancu Nistor states: "The Jews therefore, were testified as having lived there already during the first half of the 14th century, in the Danube principality and especially in the Moldavia region." For us this fact is most important:

1. We can certainly establish the unbroken continuity of the Jewish colony in Rumania, before any immigration of Jews from other countries took place.

2. We cannot be wrong in assuming that the original country from where these Jews came was Palestine from where they came in great numbers during the roman time to Dacia and remained there after they were replaced by the Goths and therefore can be be marked as their descendants. We know that the Goth did not mistreat the Jews. Most certainly can we count the modern Jews as descendants of byzantian Jews fleeing the persecution, i.e. the chazarian Jews during the time of the tatars, as for this epoch and for the time of the tartars the existence of Jews there was proved.

We can conclude from this that Jews are part palestinian, part byzantian and part chazarian origin, from where else could they have come, as immigration from other countries did not take place yet?

We come now to the time period when immigration from the neighbor countries started spontaneously because of the wealth of the country, or on invitation of the Bojars and promises of privileges and lastly also those who came because of persecution. We can establish the increase of Jews from decade to decade on hand of documentation. Lastly they are found also in great masses in closed settlements. These Jews are placed on top of the kernel of the existing Jews of the old colony of which we spoke above and which is being absorbed totally in the great mass.

We separate two streams of new Jewish immigration:
One from the west, like Spain, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Russia and the other who came from the East like Bulgaria and Turkey.

Under the reign of Ludwig I., of Hungary (1351-1361) many Jews moved to Moravia and Austria because of the persecution he started and those from Transilvania mostly to Walachia.  In this first mass-immigration to Roumania they were cordially received and offered quarters. They were given many privileges by Radu II (Rudolf) and Dan I in order to reanimate trade. Sulzer   even states that the city Turnul was build by them after their exile from Hungary and adds that there is a documented settlement.

Somewhat later started also the inflow of Polish Jews into Moldavia, who had a big influence on the moldavian trade. They came in big masses under Alexander the Good (1400-1432) and surely under Stefan the Great for business and trade purposes. As well as to establish themselves permanently from Poland into Moldavia, as Stefan VI Junior disposed on 20.9.1525, after businessmen from Vaslui complained that the Jews who had the cattle-deal, as well as the trade with cloth, leather and wax in their hands, damaged strongly themselves, and to grant them only those old trade rights given to Armenians, Greek and Jews.  As Stefan the great did, i.e. the go-between and not the operation of public houses, etc.

When later the principalities became vassals of Turkey, we find that Turkish Jews come to trade and to settle. This described by Elias Kapsali in his manuscript (found 1525 on the isle Creta) that the master (domnul)of the Walachians gave order to shut up for 3 days the Jews of a locality, after that time he demanded from every Jew 1000 Gulden ransom money, "if not I will gouge the right eye of each of them and cause shame before all of Israel." To which they responded: "We are Turkish citizens and you cannot hold us or our fortune as slaves". At this he did as promised he took away the fortunes of the rich and mutilated the poor.

Finally in 1492 the exiled Jews from Spain were very welcomed in Turkey and given shelter as well as in Walachia which was a Turkish vassal. There they were known till today as "Spaniolish Jews and Jewish settlements" and who kept their traditions and language.

From this time on we have many proofs and documentation about the existence of Jews in Rumania. An official  letter from Stefan the Great to the polish king Alexander Jagiello (1498) in which  he tells him that the Ambassador Buhusz paid off 1200 Gulden ransom for a polish gentlewoman who was freed by the Jews from Tatar captivity. The polish chronicle writer Martin Bielski reported of the year 1540 of Polish Christians who converted to Judaism to protect themselves against the persecution of the catholic cleric and who escaped to Moldavia. Furthermore we hear about the year 1545 of Jews in Turkish Chilia, and also at the same time complaints from Jews to the Polish king that they were not allowed by the Moldavia Vojvod Petru Raresch to export Turkish horses to Poland and Lituania. This was then a great export article which was practiced exclusively by Jewish horse traders. The Jew Simon Hannel also dealt in precious stones in the year 1550 in Moldavia.

These documents and reports give us also the proof of existence of Jews in the regions of today's Roumania, but not evidence of their numbers and dispersion. Further on we will speak also about it. In the Answers of R a b b I  J o s e f  C a r o  author of the great Codex "Shulchan Aruch" it is mentioned that there were Jews around Bukarest in the year 1552. From it we can deduce that already at that time they were fairly well represented in the Rumanian territories. As always they settled first in the cities and from there they went to the villages and the flatlands. We will have soon the oportunity to research in more documents and certificates which will show the great dispersion in that region. Preliminary we will follow up the chain of their uninterrupted presence in the country, in which we will meet such Jews, who because of the big influence of the Jews in Turkey, especially about Don Josef de Naxos (1566-1590), who are in high positions and have great influence.

In the years 1570-1572, 1586-1587 we can find moldavian freight transporters in the service of Jews. Jewish agents made transportation contracts with them. In the year 1573 there was a man Schaja, son of Josef the secretary of the Vojvod Alexander Mircea in Walachia. Also there was Salomon in the service of Peter the limping, the Vojvod at that time in Moldavia, who was requested to pay for all services rendere, and of whom the historian Hurmuzaki and Prof. Jorga believe that he was perhaps Salomon Tedeschi. As it is, we can find Jews in high positions in the principalities as well. Now we have to refer to the exile document of Jews by Peter (1579). On January the 8th 1579 he informed the businessmen of Lemberg that an extraordinary council decided to banish the Jews from Moldavia because they took over for themselves the whole trade. This document shows us that there must have been a great number of them because the council would not have needed for only a small quantity of Jews living there. Nor would it need an official notification to the Master of Lemberg. It seems, nevertheless, that such banishment did not take place, as we find the author of it in contact with Jews and Jewish money, as it is with Moses, Son of Elieser, with the a/m Salomon and many others. Or was the edict after a short time forgotten, as the Jews are to be found again in business and trade in Moldavia. Only two decades later under prince Michael the Brave in Muntenia and under Vojvod Aron-Voda in Moldavia there Jewish and Turkish massacres because they were the creditors of both princes. Under the pretext that they were ready to pay, they were lured into the palace were they were tortured and killed.
On the further development of the Jews in the 17th century we were told by a Jewish scholar who lived there at the time.

Josel Salomon  D e l m e d i g o  tells us that during his trip from Constantinople to Poland, he met   in Jasi the Rabbi Salomon Ben Araja from Jemen who lived there some 40 years and worked as Rabbi. The scholar himself lived 11 years there. We can conclude from it that there was a big community there because a Rabbi from Jemen would not have come and settled there for a few people. We learn as well from "Massat Binjamin" of the well known Rabbi Bejamin Solnik in Saloniki, that Jews who emigrated because of trade opportunities there or to Turkey in Jasi and in other cities in Walachia were given hospitality and shelter by Jews. If we take into account that merchant Jews traveling there, stayed for longer times and consumed only ritual victuals, so we can assume that there were many of them residing there.

Alongside these voluntary immigration of Jews into Moldavia, we find also since beginning of the 17th century the invitation to Jews from Bojars, land rulers of these countries, to come and settle the land to populate and build cities and markets, to manage the farms, the public houses and to install distilleries. This is surely the oldest document which speaks of the invitation from Bajars for purposes of settlement. Also of that speaks the letter of Stefan Tomscha in the year 1612 to the Magistrate of Lemberg, who invites businessmen, without difference of religion to move to Moldavia to encourage and create trade. To lure especially the Jews he promised to countermand the  exile edict of Peter.

The Codiciles of Matei Basarab (1646) of Walachia and Vasile Lupu in the Moldavia bring as well special articles referring to Jews. A fact which makes us believe that in those two countries there were Jews in great numbers, as at smaller quantities there would not have been the need to fix their rights through laws. There are also were the reports of Paul d'Aleppo who accompanied the Bishop Makarie (1650-1660) and spoke of the terrible persecution of Jews by the Chelmnitzky hordes in Rumania. He also tells about 2 Jewish settlements exisitng in Muntenia, one in Craiova and the other Targoviste which were ruled by so called "Staroste" i.e. Juwish old-timers. A short time later, before and at the start of the Fanariots reign in the principalities, Jewish communities were set up in the whole country and specially in Moldavia.

As last documentation to proof the already great amount of Jews is the report of Stefan Racovita from the year 1764 on the completion of the uniform organization of the Jews mentioning the institution of "Chacham-Baschi" a country Rabbi who has his Seat in Jasi, but who reigns over whole Walachia and Moldavia.

The primeval element of the Jews in today's Rumania is the Palestinian, whom we find still before and during the conquer Dacia's by the Romans. We find these Jews uninterrupted throughout many centuries, partly in the regions close to Rumania under the ancestors of today's Rumanians and living in good relations with them, part on Rumanian land itself where they looked for and found protection from persecution. He continuity of their existence can be followed up to the Tatars. At the time of the Chazars could settle here not only the primeval element but the also the Chazarian Jews. Even if we cannot sate positively that the Jews under the Tatars came from Palestine – i.e. descendants of the Jews which stayed behind from Trajan-Dacia epoch possibly located here, - so we must see them as a mixture of Palestinian – Byzantian and Chazarian descendants. As up to that time (13th century) besides of the Jews fleeing from the byzantian reign there was no foreign immigration of Jews. In the 14th century starts the influx of new Jews through immigration and new settlements, partly because of persecution in the neighborly countries, as from Hungary, i.e. compulsory, or also voluntarily because of better trade conditions and transportation possibilities. This was the immigration under Stefan the Great of Polish and Turkish Jews- partly also – in more recent times on invitation of the Bojars to advance the trade and to build city and markets or to manage their possessions.

Therefore we should consider as primeval element as foundation of today's Rumanian Jews the Palestinians which in the course of time and many centuries was strengthen by a layer of immigrated first Byzantian and Chazarian, then Hungarian, Polish, Turkish and a small quantity of Spanish Jews. They were absorbed by the continuos flow of immigrants. This primeval element lives in Rumania as long as as the Rumanians and is as old as they are. The Jews of today's Rumania and of Bukowina originate therefore in small parts from the Judeo-Dazian families and in greater part of the Jews which immigrated from the neighborly countries and is of Palestinian-byzantian-chazrian – hungarian-polish-turkish and in small part spanish origin.

For the Bukowina we can complete the statement saying that here there is a majority of polish-russian origin, as during the Austrian era the immigration of Galician and Russian Jews was big because of better politic and economic conditions.