Elena Alistar-Romanescu (1 June 1873 – 1955) was a

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was part of

Sfatul Țării ''Sfatul Țării'' ("Council of the Country"; ) was a council of political, public, cultural, and professional organizations in the guberniya, Governorate of Bessarabia in Russian Empire, Tsarist Russia. This became a legislative body which e ...

from Bessarabia. She was the aunt of poet

Magda Isanos Magda Isanos (17 April 1916 – 17 November 1944) was a Romanian poet. Biography Born in Iași, her parents were Mihail Isanos and his wife Elisabeta (née Bălan), doctors at the Costiugeni psychiatric hospital near Chișinău. Elisabeta was t ...

Biography

Alistar was born on 1 June 1873 in Vaisal commune, at the time in

Ismail County Ismail County was a county ( județ) of Romania between 1925 and 1938 and between 1941 and 1944, in Bessarabia, with the capital city at Ismail. It was also a county of Moldavia between 1856 and 1859, and of the Principality of Romania between 18 ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

(now in

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

). According to some historical sources, she was of

n origin. She was born in a family of priest Vasile Bălan. Her mother was Elisabeta Bălan. She graduated from primary school of

Congaz Congaz () is a commune and village in the Gagauz Autonomous Territorial Unit of the Republic of Moldova. The 2004 census listed the commune as having a population of 12,327 people.''Statistica Moldovei''.. Accessed March 8, 2009. Gagauz peop ...

Cahul County Cahul County was a county of Bessarabia. In the Middle Ages, its territory belonged to the Fălciu County, in Moldavia, but after the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire in 1812, it became a county by itself. History Two smaller jurisd ...

, and then, attended the

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

Eparchial School. There she met the young theologian Dumitru Alistar. They married. After a while, her husband became a priest and she followed him. Since 1890, she worked as a teacher in the such villages as Văleni, Roșu, Zîrnești,

Cahul Cahul (; also known by alternative names) is a city and municipality in southern Moldova. The city is the administrative center of Cahul District; it also administers one village, Cotihana. As of 2014 census, the city has a population of 30,0 ...

, Rezeni, and

. After her husband's death, she was encouraged by the journalist Mihai Vântu to leave for

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...

, Romania. In 1909–1916, she attended the Medical Faculty of the University of Iași. She was arrested for "nationalistic activity" together with the members of Daniel Ciugureanu's group. The group has claimed the need for forced liberation of Bessarabia from the Russian influence. In 1916, she was recruited by the army as a military doctor. She continued to practice medicine at Costiujeni Hospital near

. She was the member of the Moldavian National Party and was elected as an MP from the

Cetatea Albă County Cetatea Albă County was a county (județ) of Romania between 1925 and 1938 and between 1941 and 1944, in Bessarabia, with the capital city at Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, Cetatea Albă. It had an area of and a population of 340,459 as of the 1930 cens ...

for the

. She was one of the two women elected as MP, and actively took part in the political events that led to Bessarabia's unification with Romania. On 27 March 1918, she voted for the

Union of Bessarabia with Romania The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. This state had the same borders of the region of Bessarabia, which was annexed by the Russian Empire following t ...

. The other woman MP, Nadejda Grinfeld, was shot by the Romanian Army for opposing such an unification. Bellu 130222 79

Alistar founded the Women's Cultural League of Bessarabia. She was the president of the People's Party, founded by Mareșal

Alexandru Averescu Alexandru Averescu (; 9 March 1859 – 2 October 1938) was a Romanian marshal, diplomat and Populism, populist politician. A Romanian Armed Forces Commander during World War I, he served as List of Prime Ministers of Romania, Prime Minister of thr ...

, who was also originally from Babele, a commune near

Izmail Izmail (, ; ; , or ; ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality on the Danube river in Odesa Oblast in south-western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Izmail Raion, one of seven distr ...

Budjak Budjak, also known as Budzhak, is a historical region that was part of Bessarabia from 1812 to 1940. Situated along the Black Sea, between the Danube and Dniester rivers, this #Ethnic groups and demographics, multi-ethnic region covers an area ...

which was at the time in the

United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (), commonly called United Principalities or Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed on when Alexa ...

and is now in

. The newspaper ''"New Romania"'' was founded and headed by

Onisifor Ghibu Onisifor Ghibu (May 31, 1883 – October 3, 1972) was a Romanian teacher of pedagogy, member of the Romanian Academy, and politician. Biography Early life Born into a peasant family in Szelistye (now Săliște, Romania), near Nagyszeben (now Si ...

, in which have been published many articles signed by Elena Alistar. In 1927, she established in Bessarabia the ''Romanian Women Group''. She became famous for her activity for the Romanian Women Orthodox Society which operates under the patronage of Mrs.

Alexandrina Cantacuzino Alexandrina "Didina" Cantacuzino ( Pallady; also known as Alexandrina Grigore Cantacuzino and (Francization, Francized) Alexandrine Cantacuzène; 20 September 1876 – 1944) was a Romanians, Romanian political activist, philanthropist and diploma ...

. After the

Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina Between 28 June and 3 July 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina, following an ultimatum made to Romania on 26 June 1940 that threatened the use of force. Those regions, with a total area of and a population of 3,776 ...

of 28 June 1940, she fled to

. After a short stay in

, she was arrested by the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

and sent to the town of

Pucioasa Pucioasa () is a town in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Romania. It administers six villages: Bela, Diaconești, Glodeni, Malurile, Miculești, and Pucioasa-Sat. The town is located on the middle course of the Ialomița (river), Ialomița River, ...

, then in and now in

Dâmbovița County Dâmbovița County (; also spelt Dîmbovița) is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county. It is a traditional administra ...

, where she died in 1955. Years later, she was reburied at the

Bellu Cemetery Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania. It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

.Bejan, Vlad, Românii din sudul Basarabiei, Editura Fundației "Axis", Iași 1998, pp. 89–90

Works

* Elena Alistar – ''Mișcarea feministă din Basarabia. Începuturi și realizări. Spre un viitor mai frumos''. In: Mișcarea Feministă. 1. Nr. 1 (1933): 2.

Bibliography

* Gheorghe E. Cojocaru, ''Sfatul Țării: itinerar'', Civitas, Chişinău, 1998, *Mihai Taşcă, ''Sfatul Țării şi actualele autorităţi locale'', "

Timpul de dimineaţă ''Timpul'' (Romanian language, Romanian for "The Time") is a literary magazine published in Romania. Originally a political newspaper, it was the official platform of the Conservative Party (Romania, 1880-1918), Conservative Party between 1876 an ...

", no. 114 (849), 27 June 2008 (page 16) *Alexandru Chiriac. Membrii Sfatului Ţării. 1917–1918. Dicţionar, Editura Fundaţiei Culturale Române, București, 2001.

External links

Unica femeie deputat din Sfatul Ţării. Elena ALISTAR, un exemplu de conştiinţă politică

Elena Alistar
*
Arhiva pentru Sfatul Tarii

Deputaţii Sfatului Ţării şi Lavrenti Beria

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alistar, Elena Romanian people of Moldovan descent 1873 births 1955 deaths People from Bolhrad Raion National Moldavian Party politicians Moldovan MPs 1917–1918 Moldovan physicians Burials at Bellu Cemetery Moldovan female MPs 20th-century Romanian women politicians Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy alumni Prisoners and detainees of Romania 19th-century Romanian women 19th-century Romanian physicians