Centrul pentru Studiul Istoriei Evreilor din România, Federaţia Comunităţilor Evreieşti din România

The Archives of Center for Jews History in Romania holds documents from the 1800 – 1989 period, which belonged to the Federation of Jewish Communities, Jewish Central Office of Romania, and other unions of Jew communities that operated previously on the territory of Romania, Community in Bucharest and those in other counties, schools, Zionist organizations, cultural and sports organizations, charity associations, temples, synagogues, and various community institutions.

The personal holdings of Chief Raby Dr. Moses Rosen, writers Barbu Lazăreanu and Emil Dorian, of Jewish Central Office of Romania, communities of Bucharest, Craiova, Piatra Neamt and Alba Iulia, of chancellery of Chief Raby (1965-1982), of the Coral Temple and Focsaneanu School in Bucharest are the most representative and complete. Documents are varied, such as original, handwritten and copy correspondence, statutes and regulations, plans and reports, balance sheets, budgets, payrolls, lists and tables, personal documents, and others.

Within the Archives of Center for Jews History in Romania, the Video Archive is particularly important. It presents times in the history of Jews of Romania in a chronological order, covering the 19th century, Holocaust period, and after 1945 period. It also has special holdings on schools, synagogues, communities, personalities, theater and art. Some of the recordings have been used in various occasions, for collaborations with different TV channels, making documentaries, films, exhibitions, such as the most recent exhibition of Lya Benjamin within Euroiudaica / Sibiu 2007 European Capital of Culture. Those documents drafted by the social, cultural and religious organizations of the Jewish population in time are historical sources and part of National Archives’ Holdings, being deemed of particular importance for studying and knowing the history of Romania. They have been certified as such by the National Archives, according to Law of Archives of April 2, 1996 published in the Official Bulletin of Romania, Part I, Laws, Decrees, Decisions and other documents, Bucharest, year VIII, issue 71, April 9, 1996, p. 1-8.

Scanning and documenting the photographs in the archives and posting them on the CSIER website will be a necessary stage for consolidating the image of this institution and a first step towards modernization and entering the cultural circuit. We desire to have rigorous categorization, which would provide the documentary source next to the image with resolution specific to Internet, which could only be watched. That approach would also benefit the future collaborations with various institutions and a better knowing of the Jewish life.

On the long term, we propose to scan all hardcopy documents, with the aim to prevent mechanical destruction due to turning pages over and researching them.