Sporadic antisemitic legislation existed in Wallachia and Moldavia, the predecessors of the Romanian state, since the settlement of Jews in the area.
As a non-Christian people coming mostly from the Ottoman Empire (almost all Jews in Wallachia were Sephardi at the time), their allegiance was considered dubious.
[2] As a result of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), Romania gained its independence and at the Congress of Berlin of 1878, the nations of Europe recognized it, with the condition of making all citizens, regardless of ethnic origin or religious beliefs, equal under law.
[1] The Prince and later King of Romania, Carol I was an antisemite and the Liberal Interior Minister Ion Brătianu began some tightening of policies against Jews.
[1][3] One year later, the Chamber of Deputies received a draft law project that would attempt to eliminate the Jews from economic activity in the villages.
For instance, in 1873, the Lascăr Catargiu government introduced a law regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages which tried to remove the near-monopoly Jews had on these products.
In early 1938, the far-right Goga cabinet started a systematic "revision" of citizenship rights, which was continued by King Carol II after his coup of February 10, 1938.