Ortodoxia româneasca si atitudinea sa fata de evrei
Romanian Orthodox and its attitude toward the jews

Summary/Abstract: The role of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the creation and consolidation of the Romanian National State is of great importance. In the interwar period, with the ascension of the antidemocratic, anti-Semitic and fascist forces that rejected traditions of liberalism, humanism and pluralism, the Romanian National Church served as a unifying force in Romanian society. Moreover, Romanian fascism and nationalism grew side by side with the renewal of the Orthodox Church. The fascist trends made use of this tendency, developing the anti-Semitic elements and demonizing the Jews; calling from their expulsion from society end even from the country. Unfortunately, the Romanian Orthodox Church, part of the establishment, lacked the moral force to prevent this process, having become sometimes a tool of the governments which ruled Romania during this period. Both fascist regimes which ruled Romania after September 6, 1940 (the Iron Guard State and Antonescu’s dictatorship), had declared themselves “Christian”, thus satisfying the Church, and creating a double standards of values for Jews and for Romanians. The anti-Semitism implemented by the Legionary regime and then by Antonescu’s dictatorship was only narrowly based on Nazi ideology. Romanian fascism, so closely tied with the Orthodox Church, had entirely absorbed traditional Christian anti-Semitism, raising it to a new dimension of cruelty. The Romanian Orthodox Church and clergy are, without doubt, partly responsible for the tragedy which befell Romanian Jewry in that period.

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