Despite assurances given by the Romanian Minister of Education to a Jewish association regarding the right of Jewish students to practice their religion during their studies, a Jewish university student in Timisoara complained that his request for vacation during the Passover holiday has been rejected.

Guy Lupu, who is a student from Israel at the Victor Babes University of Medecine and Pharmacy in Timisoar, a city in western Romania, turned to the European Jewish Association (EJA), an advocacy group representing thousands of Jews across Europe, to ask for help in what he claimed was ‘’pure anti-Semitism’’, and to renew an appeal to the Ministry of Education.

He explained that last year when he introduced a request for vacation during Passover to the university authorities firstly the university refused and later the request was presented to the university Senate who decided to give only 3 days off for all the holidays during all the year.

The student then tried to speak with a previous university dean who reportedly told him that ‘’he is studying in a Christian university and that he should be thankful to get 3 days off. He reported that she also told him that as a Jewish student he has no rights in the university or in Romania and that she prefers not to have Israeli students in the university.

This year he and other Jewish students came back with a request for free days during the Jewish holidays. He brought with him a letter from the Ministry of Education addressed to Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Director General of the European Jewish Association in which the ministry informed all Romanian state universities ‘’about the necessity to ensure the right of Jewish students to be absent from class, in order to observe their religious holidays, without penalties, while also proposing them alternative dates, during the time of tests.’’

Contacted by European Jewish Press (EJP), the university rector, Marius Raica, denied that there is any problem of religion for students in the university. He said that following a request by the Ministry of Education, the student has the possibility to take three days off for each holiday. ‘’He can also recover the 3 days from Eastern celebration next week, for Jewish holidays.’’

Luciana Friedmann, head of the Jewish community of Timisoara, who said that she met with Guy Lupu several months ago, was told by one of the five university prorectors, Simona Dergan, that ‘’Jewish students like every other students have the same right to have three days for every holiday.’’