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This chapter deals with the emigration of Jews to and from Romania, from the days of the Roman Empire until the present day. The presence of Romanian principalities at important junctions of the trade routes between the Ottoman Empire and Central Europe explains the presence of Jews throughout the Romanian territory.
Until the 16th century there was no permanent settlement of Jews in the principalities of Moldova and Wallachia (Romania emerged with the union of the two principalities, acknowledged by the European powers in 1862), which only provided temporary lodgings for Jewish merchants from the Kingdom of Poland and for Sepharadic Jews from the Ottoman Empire - passing through while on travels necessary for their occupations. Sources indicate that Jewish merchants and craftsmen settled in Moldova and Wallachia starting in the second half of the 16th century.
A different situation existed in Transylvania, where there is evidence of a Jewish settlement as early as the 14th century. However, it was only in the 19th century that the Jewish community experienced a significant demographic growth due to massive emigration from Galicia and the Ukraine.
In parallel with the emigration from abroad, there was a growing movement of Jews from the north to the south of the country, towards Iași and Galați . From there, the Jews continued to emigrate to Wallachia, and especially to Bucharest, the capital of the united principalities.
Due to anti-Jewish legislation and severe discrimination at the end of the 19th century, a massive emigration of Romanian Jews to the United States, Western Europe and the Land of Israel began. Between 1889 and 1914 approximately 70,000 Jews emigrated, of which about 90 percent emigrated to the United States.
During the period of illegal immigration to Palestine (during and after World War II) and after the establishment of the State of Israel, most of the estimated 400,000 Romanian survivors arrived to Israel, and only a few emigrated to other countries. Waves of immigration continued throughout the 20th century until the majority of Romanian Jews had made Israel their new home.
