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IHRA Chair visits Republic of Moldova

09.06.2016

On 8 June 2016, the IHRA Chair, Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, visited the Republic of Moldova, one of the IHRA’s 11 Observer Countries.

On this occasion, the IHRA Chair met with the Prime Minister Pavel Filip, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Galbur, the Minister of Economy Octavian Calmic, the Minister of Culture Monica Babuc and the Head of the Delegation to the IHRA, Ambassador Ion Stavila.

During the visit to Chișinău, the IHRA Chair also visited the site of the Rabbi Tsirilson Synagogue and the Jewish Cultural Centre "Kedem”. The Chair held discussions with the representatives of the Jewish Federation about their programs to preserve Jewish heritage, promote education about Holocaust, and their contribution to support spreading the values of tolerance, diversity and inclusion in Moldovan society. 

With regard to the objective of his visit, Ambassador Constantinescu said: "The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance commends the activity of the Republic of Moldova as an Observer Country from 2014 until today. However, as IHRA Chair I would like to emphasize the necessity of Holocaust education in this context, of increasing efforts in the Holocaust remembrance and to express concern with regard to the preservation of the Jewish cultural heritage.”

The visit of the IHRA Chair in the Republic of Moldova was followed by local media. A video about the visit and the situation of the Rabbi Tsirilson Synagogue and the Magen David Yeshiva, the largest synagogue in the Republic of Moldova, can be seen here (Romanian).

Background information

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has been closely following the situation of the Rabbi Tsirilson Synagogue and the Magen David Yeshiva ober the last years. On 8 December 2015 an IHRA statement on this issue was released and it can be read here.

The Republic of Moldova became an IHRA Observer Country in 2014 and on 26 November 2015 declared 27 January as national day of commemoration for the victims of the Holocaust.

Image: IHRA Chair meets the media at Jewish Cultural Centre `Kedem`.