REBREANU

REBREANU, village in Transylvania, central Romania. Jews settled in the villages Lusça and Entrádám which later became part of Rebreanu. There was a Jewish community in Lusça dating from the early 18th century, while the population of Entrádám was entirely Jewish and its Romanian name was Jidoviṭa, from the Old Romanian word jidov of Slavic origin (a pejorative ethnonym meaning "Jew"). The Jews engaged mainly in commerce and agriculture and operated water mills. With the abolition of the settlement restrictions in Transylvania in 1848 many Jews from Entrádám moved to the nearby city of Nasaud, founding the community there. The population of the village was almost wholly Jewish in 1900. In 1930 the 135 Jews formed over 60% of the total population. The administration of the village remained in Jewish hands, and Rebreanu was popularly known as "Klayn Ereẓ Israel" ("little Ereẓ Israel"). The community was Orthodox with a strong ḥasidic influence. During World War II, in 1944, the Jews were moved by the Hungarian Fascists first to Nasaud, then to Bistrita, then finally deported to auschwitz . In 1947 there were 17 Jews living in Rebreanu, but they left soon afterward. There was no Jewish community in Rebreanu in the early 21st century (Yehouda Marton)