In 1881, on settling in Bucharest, he took charge of the paper "Fraternitatea" ("Brotherhood"). He was at this time one of the principal collaborators on "Anuarul pentru Israeliţi" ("Yearbook for Israelites"), founded by his brother Moses in 1877. Presided upon by scholar Moses Gaster, the "Anuarul pentru Israeliţi" staff, Elias included, promoted a moderate assimilationist agenda ("Haskalah"). It was in this journal that he published, from 1884 to 1898, his numerous studies on the history of the Jews in Romania. In 1883, he published another novel, "Rabinul făcător de minuni, conte populaire" ("The Miraculous Rabbi, a Folk Tale").