Participation of Jewish student associations of Chernivtsi University in defending the national rights of the Jews of Bukovina at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The article analyzes the activities of Jewish student organizations (associations) at the Imperial and Royal Franz Joseph University in Chernivtsi in the early 20th century, which sought to persuade the university administration and the Austro-Hungarian Ministry of Religion and Education to recognize the existence of a Jewish nationality and language. The research aims to examine the causes, pretexts, and key events of the student protest movement, as well as the forms, methods, and outcomes of their struggle. By applying general scientific methods, such as analysis, synthesis, abstraction, and concretization, alongside the historical-systemic method, which enables an examination of the Jewish student movement for national rights within the broader context of the Jewish national movement in Bukovyna, the following findings have been established.

The spread of nationalist ideas among lecturers and students of German origin in the late 19th and early 20th centuries negatively affected their attitude toward Jewish students and prompted the latter to establish their own organizations. In an effort to clarify their national status within the university, Jewish student associations initiated a dialogue with the administration, one that eventually developed into a large-scale campaign. The campaign lasted virtually until the outbreak of World War I. The primary methods used by students, led by Jewish student organizations such as “Hasmonea”, “Emunah”, “Hebronia”, and “Zephirah”, to influence the university administration included student assemblies and petitions (memoranda). In addition, students occasionally resorted to more radical measures, such as deliberately falsifying student questionnaires and organizing street demonstrations.

Despite their persistent efforts, Jewish students in Chernivtsi were ultimately unable to achieve their goals. This outcome was largely the result of the Austro-Hungarian government’s consistent policy of upholding the German character of the state, including within the sphere of education. The weakness of the Jewish student body, often marked by internal disunity, also stemmed from the particularities of the Jewish national movement in the region, which was characterized by competing ideological currents, primarily Zionism and “Diaspora nationalism.” Nevertheless, the determined struggle of Jewish students for the recognition of their language and national identity had a notable impact on the development of the Jewish national movement in Bukovyna during the Austrian period, reflecting one of the practical implementations of the latter’s program.