Yiddish Culture in Greater Romania, 1918-1940

Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-963-386-819-5
Verlag: Central European University Press

Buch, Englisch, 230 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Yiddish culture was an important part of the cultural landscape of Eastern Europe from the Baltic Sea to the Danube, connecting the scattered Ashkenazi Jewry, the overwhelming majority of the Jews living in this geographical area.

In the newly created Greater Romania, the Jewish component included more than half a million individuals still speaking Yiddish. Building on pre-war trends, the new nation-state faced an antisemitism problem since its inception. This continued in the period that followed, culminating in the horrors of the Holocaust, which destroyed most of the Yiddish-language community. Most survivors were discouraged from continuing to use a language that reminded them of a painful past.

This volume examines the socio-cultural mechanisms responsible for restructuring the Yiddish cultural life after the changes brought about by the end of World War I and the creation of Greater Romania. It describes how this process evolved until the political regimes banned the activity of Yiddish theaters, press and, ultimately, the usage of Yiddish, thus making cultural life impossible.

The four authors identify the main institutions, individuals and projects that promoted Yiddish cultural life in interwar Romania. They also trace the impact of Yiddish within Romanian society through joint projects, events, and initiatives. Special attention is given to Yiddish theater, which played a key role both within the community and in its interaction with the Romanian-speaking public.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cr&

Craciun, Camelia

Solomon, Francisca

S&

Nastasa-Matei, Irina

Nastas&

Sandulescu, Valentin

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Jüdische Studien Geschichte des Judentums Geschichte des Judentums außerhalb Israels/Palästinas
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte des Judentums (Diaspora)
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder

Über Autor(innen)

Sandulescu, Valentin
Valentin Sandulescu is senior lecturer at the Jewish Studies program of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Bucharest.

Nastasa-Matei, Irina
Irina Nastasa-Matei is senior lecturer at the University of Bucharest, Political Science Department.

Solomon, Francisca
Francisca Solomon is senior lecturer at the Faculty of Letters, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi.

Craciun, Camelia
Camelia Craciun is an Associate Professor in Jewish Studies, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Bucharest. In 2016 she founded the first Centre for Research and Preservation of Yiddish Culture in Romania at the Jewish State Theatre.