EGALITATEA

EGALITATEA ("Equality"), Romanian-language periodical (1890–1916, 1919–40), edited, directed, and published in Bucharest by Moses Schwarzfeld with Elias *Schwarzfeld (from his exile in France) as chief editor in the first years. It was the longest-running Jewish periodical in Romania, at first calling itself a "weekly journal." The editor stated his aim in a letter sent to potential subscribers before the publication of the first number, explaining that it was an Israelite journal intending to inspire Romanian Jews with strength, courage, conviction, and moral force, and to give them guidance in their individual trials. The journal described Jewish life and the struggle for emancipation in Romania, condemned discrimination and antisemitism, and also published literary material. Although an independent journal, as its owner and manager involved himself in the Zionist movement it became the official publication of the Jewish National Fund of Romania (1907) and also published Zionist propaganda. In the fall of 1916, when Romania entered World War i and Bucharest was occupied by the German army, the journal ceased publication. It reappeared in 1919, also as a weekly, but with only four pages, and included popular historical articles promoting Jewish identity and the Zionist idea. In July 1931, when Moses Schwarzfeld was ill and in financial difficulties, he began to publish Egalitatea every two weeks, in double numbers, up until July 3, 1940, when its publication was banned by the government. Many articles in Egalitatea were written by Moses Schwarzfeld himself, sometimes signed with pen names. Among the contributors were Elias Schwarzfeld, Wilhelm Schwarzfeld, I.H. Fior, M. Braunştein-Mibashan, Carol Drimer, J.I. Niemirower, Leon Feraru, Adolphe Ștern, A.L. Zissu, E. San-Cerbu, and others.

bibliography:

S. Podoleanu, Istoria presei evreiești din România (1938), 108–17; I. Bar-Avi, Familia Schwarzfeld (1969), 105–11; H. Kuller, Presa evreiasca bucureșteana (1996), 51–58; M. Mircu, Povestea presei evreieşti (2003), 69–80; E. Aczel, Periodicele evreieşti din România 1857–1900 (2005).

[Lucian-Zeev Herscovici (2^nd ed.)]