The Jewish Voice (December 22, 1893)
A correspondent writes from Bucharest under date of Nov. 20th: –"The situation of the unfortunate Jews in Roumania is daily becoming sadder by reason of the unbounded malevolence of the Cabinet presided over by M. Lascar Catargi, and not through the ill-will of the people. I mentioned in my last letter that according to an announcement in a semi-official paper the Government has refused to grant the Ashkenazim community in this city the necessary permission to organize a lottery, whereby to raise a sufficient amount for the establishment of Elementary Jewish Schools. I have since learned that the Mayor of this city, who was a member of a Commission appointed by the Government to consider the application of the Ashkenazim community, recommended its refusal, as it intended to evade the spirit of the new Education Act. It is thus apparent that the spirit of this Act is to deprive Jewish children altogether of instruction. What better proof of the hatred of the Government towards the Jews! It should be borne in mind that the Lotteries Act sanctions their emission of benevolent purposes, and that they very frequently grant permission for lotteries to be held for such objects. It is not long ago that a lottery of a thousand francs was held for the erection of a Roman Catholic Church in Bucharest. But the Catholics are Christians, and have powerful protectors––the King himself is a Roman Catholic,––whereas we are Jews, and even our powerful co-religionists abroad do not help us as much as they might in the political press, a great portion of which, in London, Paris, Vienna and other capitals, in in their hands.––
As another example, I would mention the effect the new Education Act has on the numerous public and private Jewish schools which have for many years past existed in various parts of Roumania. The Act, by a stroke of the pen, has annulled all previous authorizations, and requires all schools not belonging to the State to solicit authorizations to continue their existence. Christian schools of every denomination and nationality, as well as Mahomedan schools, have experienced no difficult whatsoever in obtaining the required sanction; we Jews have been less fortunate. With the exception of the Sephardim schools in this city, and three or four others in Jassy, Galatz, Crajova, and Braila, no other Jewish school in the land has yet been authorized. Even the Ashkenazim schools here are still without the official sanction which is absolutely necessary to their legal existence, so that the first politician who wishes can have them closed at any moment."