A monument to the victims of the Holocaust has been unveiled in Moldova

On July 21, 2020, in Cahul, on the site of the former ghetto that existed from 1941 to 1944, a monument to the victims of Nazi war criminals was unveiled. 

The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice-President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and Chairman of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, Alexander Bilinkis, the Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Moldova, Shimshon Daniel Izakson, former ghetto survivor Sofia Grigorievna Zvonareva, and other distinguished guests.

“It is my hope that this monument will serve as a place where students can learn about the painful yet instructive chapters of our shared history. We cannot afford to remain silent or avoid providing answers to our children, and to ourselves. The Holocaust is an integral part of this region's history, a part of our history. Denying it is not only futile, but punishable by law. By educating our children in the spirit of tolerance and respect for the ultimate value—human life—we are building a different society, one that will prevent such tragedies from ever happening again,” said EAJC Vice-President Alexander Bilinkis.

The Prime Minister of Moldova, Ion Chicu, noted in his address on the occasion of the monument's unveiling in Cahul: “Integrating Holocaust education into the school curriculum is of paramount importance, ensuring that our youth understand the horrors of this unjust war. The past is what unites us for the sake of our future, and we bear responsibility for tomorrow, starting today.”

According to the National Archives of the Republic of Moldova, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, and testimonies of survivors, in 1941 the occupying forces designated a site in Cahul to intern approximately one thousand Jews from the town and surrounding areas. Mass executions of Jews took place at this site, resulting in the murder of thousands of civilians. 

Between 1941 and 1944, representatives of various ethnic groups in Moldova became victims of Nazism, including Moldovans, Jews, Roma, Russians, and Ukrainians. More than 300,000 Jews were exterminated on Moldovan territory, the majority of whom were shot by German and Romanian occupying forces in 49 concentration camps and ghettos, designated as places of 'temporary detention'. During the deportation of the remaining Bessarabian Jews to the concentration camps and ghettos of Transnistria, many were killed along the transit routes.

The preservation of the memory of Holocaust victims was a key subject during the August 2018 visit to Moldova by a high-level delegation of Jewish leaders led by the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), Mikhael Mirilashvili. During the visit, the delegation held several working meetings with Moldovan government ministers, politicians, and public figures. The delegation's primary focus also included the development and strengthening of the local Jewish community, as well as the fight against antisemitism.

The necessity of educating on Holocaust history and countering antisemitism was also discussed during a meeting between the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Mikhael Mirilashvili, and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, during his recent visit to Israel.