The Anti-Semitic Manifestation of the Romanian Political, Cultural and Intellectual Elite in the 19th Century and the First Half of the 20th Century

Elena Cornoiu

 

Guided by the teacher, the students approached the topic of anti-Semitism in the works of various Romanian politicians, philosophers and poets in the 19th century and in the first part of the 20th century. They made a documentation visit to the county library together and then the students continued visiting the library on their own. They discovered that many of the time’s major representatives of the Romanian culture and literature had and shared anti-Semitic views. The students wrote essays and reviews related to the works of several such personalities and participated in a symposium organized in their school, along with teachers and other colleagues. The best essays, according to a selected jury, were published in a brochure: The Roots of Anti-Semitism. A Short History; Anti-Semitism in the Works of Vasile Conta; Poet Mihai Eminescu’s Anti-Semitism and Nationalism; Politician Ion I.C. Bratianu’s Anti-Semitism and Nationalism; Anti-Semitism in the Works of Vasile Alecsandri.