The historical origins of Jews in Romania cannot be pinpointed with any degree of accuracy. At present, Jews make up only a small fraction of Romania's minority population. However, Jews reportedly existed in the Central European region known as Romania in larger numbers as early as the first and second centuries.
Romania is situated in the southeast of Europe, resting on the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Beyond the Carpathia mountain range, which covers about one-third of the country, are extensive plains sustained by the Danube river and its tributaries. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century, almost two thousand years after its history began, that Romania became an almost unified and independent country. The intervening period was characterized by long periods of rule by various foreign countries, during which much of the early Jewish migration appears to have taken place.
Of the three major Jewish ethnic divisions--Oriental, Sephardi, and Ashkenazi--two migrated to Romania in significant numbers between 500-1600 A.D. These were the Sephardi and the Ashkenazi divisions. The Ashkenazi Jews are believed to be the first to enter the area now known as Romania.
The migration of Ashkenazi Jews occurred while Romania (known then as Dacia) was under Roman rule, during the second and third centuries. After this period, the historical record fades: "These early beginnings of a Jewish Diaspora in Central and Eastern Europe were followed by a long period of quiescence in which practically nothing is known about the fate and circumstances of the Jews who were the forerunners of the Ashkenazim" (Patai 20). Scant evidence exists about these Jews, except for their appearance and their language. Physically, they tended to resemble non-Jews in the same locality (Patai 74). Thus a significant number of Romanian Jews were fair, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Linguistically, the Ashkenazim retained set langua...