46 Anca Filipovici: Young and Restless S: I. M. O. N. S HOAH: I NTERVENTION. METHODS. DOCUMENTATI ON. ARTICLE Anca Filipovici Young and Restless Political Activism and Resistance among Jewish Youth in Romania Abstract Based on testimonies from the Fortunoff Video Archive and other personal accounts, this article delves into the political options and the mechanisms of political mobilisation among Jewish youngsters in 1930s and 1940s Romania. Primarily involved in two distinct forms of activity – within the Zionist youth movements and the communist movement – their early political engagement represented a defiance of antisemitism and adult authority. Simultane- ously, it served as an alternative island of safety and stability. By exploring various personal experiences in specific political contexts, I argue that the political involvement of youngsters should be analysed as a manifestation of juvenile energy and a unique form of agency for victims of antisemitic persecution. Introduction Jewish resistance during the Holocaust in Romania has been predominantly por- trayed as a history of adults. e topic itself is still less explored, even though, in re- cent years, researchers have started to discuss not only the persecution of Jews, but also the agency of the victims as demonstrated through the actions of the Jewish leaders, intellectuals, and professionals who sought to influence political processes and decisions affecting Jewish communities. What scholarship has yet to reveal is that political activism and resistance during the Holocaust were also characteristics of some young Jews – adolescents and individuals in their twenties – who lacked political authority, significant financial resources, or influence over decision-makers. It is their history that I tried to uncover as a Fortunoff Research Fellow at the Wie- senthal Vienna Institute from 2022 to 2023, while exploring the testimonies of Zionist and communist Jews within the Fortunoff Video Archive. Drawing upon this research, this article examines various individual experiences from different regions of Roma- nia, and it aims to discuss the political activism of Jewish youngsters, during the inter- war period and the Holocaust. Starting with the 1930s, political choices were dynamic and sometimes volatile, as youngsters looked for alternatives to counter the prevailing nationalist atmosphere. At the same time, one has to be aware that political involve- ment was not characteristic of all young people. Some of them were deeply rooted in tradition and religious life, while others simply lacked interest in challenging activities. Age represents a key concept in my research, as I argue that political mobilisation and radicalisation at a young age within a highly politicised society like interwar Romania can be interpreted as a form of disobedience and manifestation of the spe- cific energy of juveniles. 1 According to classic theories of age and psychosocial devel- 1 Anca Filipovici, “e Youth of the Unified Nation: Social Control and Discipline in Romanian Interwar High Schools”, New Europe College “Ştefan Odobleja” Program Yearbook 2018–2019 (2020): 137–164. Vol. 11|2024|No.1 https://doi.org/10.23777/sn.0124 | www.vwi.ac.at