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Until the middle of the 19th century, Jews in the Romanian Principalities dealt mainly with commerce, land leasing, money-lending with interest and crafts. At the same time, various restrictions imposed on the Jews by the Romanian authorities, which became increasingly severe towards the end of the 19th century, prevented them from engaging in industries such as agriculture, public services, security, etc., thus strengthening their hold on traditional Jewish occupations. Among the traditional professions, tailoring tookfirst place. At the end of the 19th century there were 9,215 Jewish tailors in Romania, or about 40% of the country's tailors, and were the largest group of the Jewish craftsmen. Shoemakers were the second largest group, and although they constituted only 15% of themshoemakers in Romania, in large cities likeIași, they were the majority.
Most Jewish craftsmen also sold their products. However, there were also businesses of a strictly commercialnature, such as clothingstores for women and men. In the streets of Bucharest, Iași and other cities, there were a large number of such stores, most of which were owned by Jews. In the late 19th century, there were 148 stores in the cities of Romania, about 57% of all stores of this type. Some lasted only a short time, others flourished and their owners opened additional branches. In 1904, 21.1% of the merchants in Romania were Jews, and in cities such as Iași, Botoșani, and Dorohoi they constituted the majority.
Anothert raditional Jewish profession was watchmaking, and in the beginning of the 20th century there were 462 Jewish watchmakers in Romania, about 65% of all watchmakers in the country. Shops and watchmakers were also usually jewelry stores, many of whichwere in Bucharest on Carol Street.
Other particular occupations were craftsmen andmerchants whose livelihood was connected to books, including printers and booksellers. One of the first bookstores opened in Bucharest in the 1860's was Aron Zwiebel's Librăria Univesală și Academica (Universal and Academic Book Shop) on Zlătari Street, where books were bought in the west for the National Library in Bucharest. Jewish printing presses flourished during the second half of the 19th century, and in the early 20th century Jewish printing houses could be founall over Romania. The first printing house was established in Craiova in 1846 by Iosif Samitca. Another profession related to print was photography. The photographic business flourished mainly in Iași, which was a center for the printing of colorful postcards.
In dealing with second-hand goods and antiques, Jews monopolized the market. When a new flea market opened in 1878 in Herescu Square (now Piața Sfânta Vineri) all the stall holders were Jews. Bucharest's antique center was on Patria Street, in the shops of the Patria Hotel, and a large Romanian furniture market was located on Popa Lazăr Street.
The granting of loans with interest was a traditional practice among European Jews, which contributed greatly to economic development. As early as 1812, eleven money changers were registered in the "Breasla jidovilor" (the Jews’ guild), and towards the end of the 19th century the number of money-lenders increased.
As far as agriculture was concerned, the Jews in Romania operated mainly in the business of leasing agricultural lands and forests, and dealing in agricultural produce. The activity of Jewish Arendași (landowners) was made possible thanks to the increase of wheat production for export and the advantages they had over the local population in this trade. In the early 20th century, over 60% of the land in Romania was leased, and in four districts in Moldova over 50% of the leased area was held byJews. For example, the Fisher Brothers' company controlled about 60% of the estates in northern Moldova, including Botoșani, Dorohoi and Iași. In contrast, in other districts, the proportion of Jews was minimal, less than 2%. In the almost feudal structure of Romania, Jews acted as intermediaries between the landowners (the "Boieri") and the peasants, and played a crucial role in establishing ties between landlords and peasants in the developing urban market.
