History of Suceava

As with many town in Eastern Europe Suceava had a thriving Jewish community that began slowly in the 16th century. Initially it was the capital of the Principality of Moldova. It then changed hands many times before becoming part of the Habsburg Empire. Being situated within the Habsburg empire gave many its inhabitants privileges and status not enjoyed in other areas such as the Pale of Settlement. After 1848 their numbers increased rapidly, and the Jewish population numbered 3,750 (37.1%) in 1880; 6,787 in 1901; and 8,000 on the outbreak of World War I The cultural life was German and many Jewish inhabitants took active parts in commercial and community life. All of that changed during the Holocaust with the deportation of most of the cities inhabitants to Transnistria in the early 1940's. After the war with the separation of Northern Bukovina to the Ukraine, may Jews from Chernovity moved to Suceava and population was about 4000. During the later part of the 20th century many Jewish families emmigrated to Isreal and other places. Today there is a smaller active community with a Jewish center and Synagogue used on the high holy days.

Suceava and the Holocaust: The Book of the Jews of Shotz (Suceava) and the surronding communities

Suceava and the Holocaust: Yiskor book on Jewishgen

Suceava: Yivo Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Lucian-Zeev Herşcovici, trans Romanian by Anca Mircea

Jerome Silverbush; “Suceava: Article from Dr. Hugo Gold’s ‘History of the Jews in Bukovina,’” Nathan Michael Gelber, Martin Hass, and Chaim Kupferberg, “Suczawa,” in Geschichte der Juden in der Bukowina, ed. Hugo Gold, vol. 2, pp. 113–118 (Tel Aviv, 1961/62), English trans.

Suceava and Surroundings and their Jews: From the Books of Suceava Jews.

Romania in The Virtual Jewish World:A very good overview of the History of Jews in Romania.

“Theodor Lavi, Suts´iavah (Suceava),” in Pinkas ha-kehilot: Romanyah, vol. 2, pp. 473–477 (Jerusalem, 1980).

Jean Ancel, Toldot ha-sho’ah: Romanyah, vol. 1, pp. 697–707 (Jerusalem, 2002);