No Jews lived in Gura Humorului before 1835, when they were allowed to settle, joining other, already represented, ethnic groups (such as Germans from
Bohemia, mainly from the
Böhmerwald: thirty families settled on the mountainous and densely forested lands nearby the town, establishing a quarter named
Bori). The Jewish community began to flourish in 1869, when they formed around a third of the town's population (880 people); the same year, a
Beth midrash was established. A turning point in the town's history was the disastrous fire of May 11, 1899 which destroyed most of the town, more than 400 houses, including many Jewish businesses and homes. It was rebuilt with donations from American Jewish communities. The Jewish community in Gura Humorului continued to grow, reaching 1,951 members in 1927. Jewish cultural life reached its peak during the
interwar period. The languages of choice in the town life were
Yiddish,
German, and
Romanian. Most of the Jewish community adhered to
Orthodox Judaism, and Jewish youngsters studied the
Torah along with secular subjects such as geography, history, and mathematics. The community had established Jewish social and political institutions that contributed to all fields of public life. While persecutions began to increase under the threats posed by Romanian
fascist movements such as the
Iron Guard, it was
World War II that brought an end to Jewish presence in Gura Humorului. Under the dictatorship of
Ion Antonescu, Jews were rounded up and deported to
Transnistria, where many of them perished – mass murdered through various means, including shootings and
criminal negligence (see
Holocaust in Romania). Virtually all of the Jewish community in Gura Humorului was deported: 2,945 people were all transported on October 10, 1941. According to
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, "On 10 Oct. 1941, the J. pop. (2,900) was deported to Transnistria, but on 14 March 1944, 1,500 were allowed to return." On March 14, 1944, Romania's military dictator Ion Antonescu allowed the repatriation of all the Jews deported to Transnistria. The vast majority of survivors
emigrated to
Israel in 1947–1951. Statistics show that they numbered below 500 people in all at the time of their departure. == Twin towns – sister cities ==