Romania

18.9 million

country population

~10,000

Jewish population

1916

JDC entry date

Jews have called Romania home for more than seven hundred years. Prior to the 19th century, Jews fleeing antisemitism found refuge here, building a flourishing community that contributed greatly to Romanian society and Jewish culture.

This wouldn’t last. During World War II, Jews in Romania suffered discrimination, pogroms, deportations, and killings that devastated the community. The survivors then faced repression under communist rule until 1989, when communism collapsed. Jews only then began to fully rebuild a Jewish life all their own — and 30 years later, it’s thriving more than ever.

For more than a century, JDC has stood alongside and worked as partners with Romania’s Jewish community. After World War II, JDC helped Romanian refugees and displaced persons re-establish their lives, and in 1967, when JDC returned more fully to the country, we began enriching welfare and community programs so Jewish life could flourish once again.

We’re still there for Romania’s Jews, bolstering community programs and strengthening local leadership — ensuring a bright Jewish future in Bucharest and beyond.

JDC’s Ukraine Crisis Response

When the conflict in Ukraine began, many of the country’s Jews fled the country — with thousands heading to the border with Romania.

JDC didn’t skip a beat. Immediately, we partnered with FEDROM and mobilized a nationwide network of volunteers to assist refugees at the border. In addition, we worked together to launch a 24/7 emergency hotline staffed with Russian speakers who helped guide Ukraine’s Jews to safety. Once refugees landed in Romania, they found a wide array of life-saving aid — housing, food, medicine, and other vital necessities — and the warmth of a welcoming Jewish community.

In the first six months of the crisis, we assisted more than 6,100 refugees, delivered 70 tons of humanitarian assistance, fielded 6,200 hotline calls, and delivered 5,000 Passover haggadot. This expansive response built on decades of humanitarian work in Romania and around the world — and years after the crisis began, we stand at the ready for whatever may come.

Care for the Vulnerable

Romania’s Jewish community was heavily affected by the 2008 financial crisis, which caused mass unemployment and skyrocketing inflation. Today, Romania continues to struggle with poverty and a rising cost of living.

To aid the country’s most vulnerable Jews, JDC partners with the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania (FEDROM), which provides food cards, medical assistance, homecare, winter relief, and more to hundreds of Jewish seniors each year. And for Jewish families coping with unemployment and high living costs, JDC support helps FEDROM provide monthly food vouchers, emergency grants, medical and psychological care, clothing, and academic support.

Building Jewish Life

Throughout Romania, Jewish Community Centers (JCCs) serve as a vibrant hub for Jewish learning, culture, and activity, infusing Jewish tradition into daily life. JDC helped establish the Bucharest JCC in 2007, a center of Romanian Jewish life that features a wide variety of activities for community members of all ages. The Bucharest JCC welcomes nearly 1,000 participants annually for weekly Oneg Shabbat, Jewish learning, special holiday celebrations, and more. Hundreds more participants enjoy a wide array of exciting activities at JDC-supported JCCs and community programs in Oradea, Timisoara, and Iasi.

Outside of the country’s JCCs, Romania’s Jews can partake in a host of nationwide programs. Bereshit — an annual educational conference organized in partnership with FEDROM — brings together hundreds of participants for study, networking, and Jewish celebration. Bereshit goes beyond education — it’s a place where Romanian Jews can preserve and enrich culture and traditions, fostering a deep sense of belonging and solidarity.

Each year, Romania’s Jews also gather for Keshet, a national day of Jewish learning. Uniting more than 1,200 people from small and large communities alike, Keshet participants meet to study and discuss Jewish texts — and feel part of a larger Jewish family. And on Open Synagogue Night, more than 15 synagogues in 12 cities open their doors to the public. More than 6,000 people enjoy lectures, tours, food and wine tastings, music and dance performances, meetings with rabbis, Havdalah ceremonies, and learn about the richness of Jewish culture.

Cultivating a Jewish Future

By investing in the next generation of Romanian Jewish leadership, JDC invests in the future of Romanian Jewish life. To this end, JDC organizes pan-European events and seminars and invites Romanian Jewish leaders to participate, including educational seminars, professional development workshops and mentoring programs.

Through Szarvas, the JDC-Ronald S. Lauder Foundation international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary, JDC connects young Jewish Romanians to the broader Jewish world. Future leaders are also born at JDC-supported local Jewish camps. In 2023 alone, more than 600 participants from 32 cities throughout Romania attended Jewish camps for children, teens, and families. These camps provide a place where children, parents, and others can access a rich array of social and educational activities and learn about their Jewish heritage together. Above all, they inspire the next generation of Jews to serve their communities.