Jewish Theater Performances Secured by Gendarmes After Threats

The premiere of the play The Merchant of Venice at the Jewish State Theater on February 7 and 8 took place under the presence of gendarmes due to threats against the actors and the institution, which emerged on TikTok accounts.

“I am angry. I find it unfair. Threats like ‘we’re coming to tear down the building…’ It’s very hard for me!” said actress Maia Morgenstern in an interview with antena3.ro.

According to the cited source, a TikTok account under the name Filip Popescu, featuring numerous grammatical errors in Romanian, posted a photo of the Jewish State Theater building with the following message: “The nest where the progeny of Jewish fascist settlers hide their identity, learn Romanian, and prepare to later take full control of Romania.”

This post was followed by comments containing threats of bombings and arson.

“The complaint to the authorities was not filed by the theater—let that be clear! Not by the theater, which worries and saddens me. As long as I was leading the institution and we received explicit threats like ‘we’re coming for you, we’ll tear it down, we’ll set it on fire,’ I personally filed a criminal complaint. However, every manager has the freedom, the right, and the conscience to adopt a certain stance,” said Maia Morgenstern.

Andrei Munteanu, director of the Jewish State Theater, stated that the police and gendarmerie were notified about the threats. He also explained why the complaint was filed by a private individual.

“All the competent authorities have received these screenshots. The complaint was filed by a private individual. Everything was happening in real time, it was the weekend, and that person simply went and submitted the complaint. In any case, the police always have the best intentions—this is not the first time something like this has happened.

Both the gendarmerie and the police stand by us. During premieres and performances, they patrol and ensure our safety. These threats don’t just appear on TikTok; they also surface on Facebook and YouTube. This—ironically and sarcastically speaking—has become a tradition. And Maia Morgenstern knows this very well.

We recently had a premiere: we notified the Protection and Security Service (SPP), the gendarmerie, and all relevant authorities. We took all necessary steps, both in writing and verbally,” he added.