Alliance Isra61ite TJniverselle
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
416
or the exercise of
taining to the enjoyment of civil and political rights."
any public function against following the profession of lawyer or plmrnmcist anil against the employment of Jews on the railroads. On March 15, 1884. an edict iirohibiling jieddling was promulgated, and thereby Iwenly thousand Jews were deprived of
This declaration is embodied in articles 5, 20. 3"), and 44 of the treaty of Herlin. United Eirope.s!inetioned the e(iuality of all religions before the law and proclaimed the emaneii)ation of the Jews. This significant episode isuniipie in the history of Judaism. But
their means of support. DissiUislied witii this, the
this concession
tlie pnssi'ssion
of municipiil
riglits,
Uiuuaniansthen invented a slill more efficient method of harassing their JewSince about the year 1894, the isli fellow citizens. ]irimary and secondary schools have been closed to Jewish children, and even the tnides and comIt is the hardest blow mercial schools likewise. dealt at Hiimanian Jewry, and one which it feels most keeidy. These laws have caused the Alliance and the Jewish Colonization Association to lend generous support to Kuniaiiian Jewish communities for the creation and maintenance of special schools. Buch restrictive laws on education are more deadly than all the e.xiiuisions and all the riots which have stained the streets of Kumanian towns with Jewish blood. The question will be asked, "Was the AlliIt was ance idleduring tlieseodious persecutions? its duty to proclaim to iiulili<- opinion the bad faith
spirit of the successive Rumanian ministries; to intercede with Kuropi'an governments, especially with the great jiowers. under whose guaranty Rumania obtained its independence in 18.5(). The truth was not sufficiently known either to the European public or to the various governments, and therefore had to be proclaimed: this was the espefail cial function of the Alliance, and it did not Rimianian agents perverted the in the emergency. facts, and represented that the Jewish ex]iulsions were hygienic measures. They claimed that the prohibitive laws were directed against aliens and not Friends of the Alliance and of truth against Jews. interpellated the government in various European parliaments concerning the conduct of the Rumanian government. Irrefragable statements were published by the Alliance in support of its accusations Certain verv against the Rumanian government. grave events that had taken place atlsmaila in 1872
and the intolenmt
spurred the Alliance to still greater efforts. Under its auspices, a conference was held at Brussels, Oct. 29 and 30, 1S72, fif delegates from France, Germany, England, and the United States, presided over by Creiuieux. It was decided to persevere in the struggle and meanwhile to a.ssist the Rumanian Jews Another meetin their endeavors to obtain justice. ing took place in Paris Dec. 11. 18To. at which it was resolved to solemnly demand of the powers their intercession in behalf of the Jews in Rumania. prejiared by this conference was taken to the celi'brated diplomatic congress at Constanti-
The memorial
nople by M. Charles Xetler. a member of the Central committee. The failure of the conference of Constantinople, which was followed by the war between Russia and Turkey, isa well-known historical fact. The congress convened at Herlin in 187s Berlin Congress, to settle the affairs of the East after the close of the war. wjus solicited to take 1878. up the f|Uestion of the Rumanian Jews.
The Alliance was represented by
three delegates to It was the congress, Kann. Netter. and Veneziani. a solemn moment in the life of the Alliance. Its delegates were courteously received and were enabled to lay before the assembled European diplomats a full statement of their grievances and their demands. France took the initiative and proposed to the congress that in Rumania. Servia. and Bulgaria "differences of religious belief should not be considered as reason for disability in matters per-
was made
practically inoperative. of Kuniania deceived Europe, and evaded the treaty under pretense of modifying, as a matter of form only, an article of the constitution; with the residt that Rumanian Jews, excepting a certain privileged muuber among them, continue to be considered by the law as "aliens" in a country where they have resided for almost seven centuries. In Servia, the Alliance met with no fewer difficulties than in Rumaiua. but tlii' result has been different. Servia conforms strictly to Servia and the rciiuirements of the treaty of Ik-rBulgaria. lin. There are no restrictions there upon the rights of Jews; their emancipation is complete. In Bulgaria, which was a Turkish jji-ovince until 1878, the .Vlliance has likewise secured full emancipation. In that country, the Alliance, in addition to the political and economic benefits conferred, has addi-d schools, which will be described further on in this article. The .lews of Bulgaria possess the full franchise. Many of them are members of the various elective bodies. They possess full (Miuality, and their relations with their Christian f<'llow citizens are satisfactory. It israthersurprising to tind that between 1860 and 1870, Russia regardeil the activity of the Alliance
The government
with outspoken approval, and came near re(|Uesting its coopenvtion in the elevation of her Jewi.sh population. the occasion of the incident at SaratolT. wherein
Russia.
Upon
.Tews were luijustly condemned as having slain a Christian child, the Ru.ssiau and)a.s.sador at Paris received with great favor the rcjircsentatives of the Central Committee, who waited upon him in 1H62 with a memorial addressed to the emperor in behalf of the condenui(<l. .Vgain, at the re(|Uest of the .Vlliance. the ambassailor. ^I. dc Budberg. consented in 1868 to in(|uire into the case of a yotuig Jewish girl who was bai)tized in Russia against the will of her parents. The first time the Alliance was called upon to intervene in favor of the Russian Jews was in 1869. Famine was ravaging Ru.ssiau Poland; the number The Alliance issued of its victims was enormous. an appeal for the relief of the sufferers. conference of dcle.ijrates of the -Vlliance. under President Cremieux. with members of the conunittces of Berlin and Konigsberg, took place at the Prus.sian capital, October, 1869. It wasdeeidcd to assist a certain number of .lews to migrate into the interior of Russia, to convey others io the United St.ates. and to erect at Konigsberg a permanent institution for the care of Russo-Polish chililrcn. This jjrogram was carried out. In less than two years eight hundred emigrants were transported to America, where the}' were received by the Board of Delegates and aided in the establishment of new homes. Three hundred orphans were cared for by the .lewish communities of France and Germany. In Konigsberg. Posen, ]Memel, and Cologne, trade-schools for Russian children were established; that of Konigsberg exists today, and receives a considerable subvention from the Alliance. In the great persecutions of 1881-82 the horrors of liarbarism were reprodticcd. From Ekaterinoslav to Wilna. bands of rioters attacked the .Tews. The scenes of murder, pillage, and incendiarism which Russia then presented raised a cry of indignation throughout
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