“The Massacre of Galatz” (April 1859) – An Episode in the History of the Jewish Community from Galatz

Abstract

The paper presents, on the basis of several documents found at The National Archives of the United Kingdom, part of the official correspondence between the British vice-consul at Galatz and his superiors from Jassy or Constantinople, a famous, yet little documented episode that led to an anti-Semitic riot, under the accusation that a Jew attempted to ritually murder a Christian boy. The documents annexed to this paper are an important historical source which can clarify, to a great extent, these incidents and their consequences on the persons and properties of the local Jewish population.