Daily newspaper published in Bucharest in two series: 1919–1922 and 1944–1948. The director and founder of Mântuirea (Redemption) was Abraham Leib Zissu, and its editor in chief was Abraham Feller. The publication was regarded as the most influential Romanian Jewish newspaper of the interwar period. It had a strong Zionist bent, implied by its subtitle, “Cotidian național evreiesc” (Jewish National Daily).
In Zissu’s platform statement “Cuvântul nostru” (Our Saying), Mântuirea pledged to be the voice of a generation able to give up compromises and prejudices. The newspaper hoped to provide varied opinions while shaping Jewish national consciousness and opposing assimilation. In the same pledge, Mântuirea expressed its intention to contribute to the reorganization of the sociopolitical trends and orientations within the Jewish community in Romania.
Mântuirea’s editorials and reviews focused on two major issues: Zionism and the status of Jews as an ethnic minority. Typical articles included “Societățile pentru colonizarea Palestinei” (Societies for the Colonization of Palestine; issues 21 and 23 [1919]) and “Viața evreiască din Palestina” (Jewish Life in Palestine, issue 23 [1919]); it also reported on debates of the Zionist congresses and included articles about Zionist leaders such as Ahad Ha-Am, Lev Pinsker, and Naḥum Sokolow. Mântuirea also supported the Romanian Diaspora community in its struggle for Jewish political rights and cultural and religious autonomy.
The second series of the newspaper began publication on 2 September 1944. It attempted to keep the earlier features, advocated social justice and national freedom, and also gave special attention to developments in Palestine. In its last year of circulation, 1948, Mântuirea was issued just weekly.
Translated from Romanian by Anca Mircea