ESJF Country Report - Moldova

Country Report:

Moldova

ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

Contents Executive Summary Jewish History in Moldova Survey Analysis Restitution and legal context Educational Work conducted in the Framework of the Pilot Project Conclusion

5 9 15 25 29 37

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Executive Summary

T

his report summarises the implementation of the pilot project ‘Pilot Project Protecting Jewish Cemeteries: A full mapping process with research and monitoring and individual costed proposals for protection’ in Moldova, and offers a detailed analysis of its results.

The pilot project ran for 18 months, between 11 December 2018 and 10 June 2020, co-funded by the European Commission and implemented by the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, with the aim of mapping, surveying every Jewish cemetery in the country, raising awareness about their value and vulnerability among local stakeholders, and conducting educational events for local high school students and their teachers.

Prior to the surveys conducted by the ESJF, there had been no comprehensive database of Jewish cemeteries in Moldova, so our work offers groundbreaking results, and adds much to our understanding of the location, condition, and ownership of Jewish burial sites in the country. Our surveys built on the two existing attempts to catalogue Moldova’s Jewish cemeteries, but they were able to add 19 new sites to the eventual, comprehensive list.

The number of Jewish cemeteries in Moldova was estimated ca. 100, but our surveys visited every single site where there was a chance to find a Jewish cemetery. This

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

practice was necessary, due to the lack of exact, comprehensive information. Surveyors visited 132 sites in total, verifying the situation on the ground at every single locality with a sizable Jewish community in the past. Our surveys yielded less than the projected 100 sites: it was determined that Jewish cemeteries existed at 72 of the visited sites; however, our teams were unable to access 2 of these (Ghersunovca and Cobasna).

As such, 70 cemeteries were surveyed and analysed in Moldova. Of these 53 (78%) were found to be preserved and 17 (24%) demolished. Of the preserved cemeteries, 29 have at least minimal fencing, 18 are not protected, and 6 are post-WWII Jewish sections on municipal cemeteries. Of the demolished sites, 13 are overbuilt and 4 have not been built over. This relatively high percentage of preserved cemeteries compares favourably to other project countries like Greece or Ukraine. At 60 sites we can now exclude the existence of a Jewish cemetery, a result that we find as important, albeit less tangible, as the actual surveys conducted.

Educational events were conducted in rural locations to foster a deeper understanding of local Jewish history in areas that are less likely to be reached by museums or other cultural institutions located in big cities. We held seminars for local high school students in Briceva, Fălești, and Orhei. We conducted a seminar in Chișinău as well, recognising the city’s exceptional significance in Jewish history. The concluding event of our educational program was a teacher training webinar held in June, after its initial cancellation due to Covid-19. This teacher training event focused on equipping educators with the skills necessary to teach about the Jewish history of Moldova beyond the subjects of pogroms and the Holocaust, inviting students to engage with material heritage.

In our work we have been collaborating with the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, the Magid Scientific and Education Centre, and the Ministry of Education

6

Executive Summary

in Moldova. Local experts on the ground helped us establish contact with mayors at every site we surveyed, made sure we were aware of the permits needed for drone surveyors, advised our media strategy, and helped to ensure that our surveys become a well regarded, useful source of information for further protection activities.

Important outcomes of our mass surveys include cooperation with local authorities in three locations: Prodaneshti, Vărzărești, and Vadul-Raşcov, where the ESJF was invited to develop further protection measures, leading to the fencing of three Jewish cemeteries between winter 2019 and summer 2020. The strong position of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, the absence of contested ownership issues, and the willingness of local authorities to proactively safeguard Jewish heritage sites makes Moldova an ideal place for small-scale interventions. The relative ease of reaching students and teachers, and the interest they have shown, indicate that there is much room to bring Jewish heritage to the classroom, and that a more comprehensive understanding of the country’s Jewish heritage and history is worth promulgating for the benefit of generations to come. We very much hope that the surveys, educational activities, and partnerships we built over the course of the pilot project are there to stay and will pave the way for future protection activities on-site and in the classroom.

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Jewish History in Moldova

M

odern Moldova is located mainly in the historical region of Bessarabia and is considered the heir to the medieval state of the Principality of Moldavia. It is located on the territory of the Dniester-Prut interfluve, an ancient migration route. As such, Moldova has been a multiethnic region, located at the nexus of trade routes and migration channels.

This is reflected in the Jewish history of the region. References as far back as the 12th century can be found to a Jewish presence in the region; however, whether the territory they inhabited falls within the borders of modern Moldova remains unknown. The Principality was a vassal state of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century onwards.

Owing to its relatively liberal legislation on religious practices for Jews and Christians, it attracted many Jews fleeing persecution in Christian Europe, who soon flourished in the region.

In the north of Moldova, there is strong evidence from the 16th century onwards of the presence of Ashkenazi Jews who migrated from the Commonwealth. The nearby Black Sea coast had also been home to Sephardic communities. Accordingly, Bessarabia has long been a region of contact, trade relations, and cultural exchange between the two branches of Jewry. After the Russo-Turkish war of 1806-1812, the territory became

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

part of the Russian Empire. Most of the south of modern Moldova was ceded to the Principality of Moldavia (still a vassal of the Ottoman Empire) at the end of the Crimean War (1853-1856), and in 1859 it was incorporated into the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia (which would eventually become Romania). However, the next Russo-Turkish war resulted in the reintegration of these states into the Russian Empire in 1878.

In the Russian Empire, the laws of the Pale of Settlement were extended to these lands which had been ravaged by the war. However, the rich land became the object of state colonisation and internal migration, in particular for the Jewish population. According to the 1897 census, the Jewish population of the province was 225,637 people, i.e., 11.65% of the total inhabitants. In the capital of the province, Chișinău, the Jewish population reached almost half by the beginning of the 20th century.

On April 6–9, 1903, following talk of blood libel and rumours of secret orders from the king, one of the most infamous pogroms in history took place in Chișinău. This event caught the attention of the Jewish, leftist, and liberal circles of Europe and America, and was followed by a wave of mass Jewish emigration from the region, as well as a surge of popularity for Zionism and Jewish socialism, which served as an impetus for a series of settlement projects and the development of an international infrastructure for victim relief organisations. In 1905, Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese war, as well as the revolution of 1904-1905, unleashed a new wave of pogroms throughout the region.

By the beginning of the First World War, the border between Romania and Bessarabia as a whole corresponded with the modern border between Romania and Moldova, slightly shifting from one side to the other throughout the conflict. This led to migration of the Jewish population from war zones on both sides of the border, both as refugees and deportees.

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Jewish History in Moldova

Following the coup in Petrograd in October 1917, Romanian troops entered Bessarabia.

After the UNR began to receive military support from Germany, this region was cut off from Soviet Russia, leading to mass emigration. Bessarabia became part of Romania as an autonomous region, but the annexation was never recognised by the RSFSR or the Ukrainian SSR. This formed the basis of the region’s policy on both sides of the border.

The politics of both the USSR and Romania around the unrecognised border grew tenser over time. Despite the Soviet support of national cultures in the 1920s, the Jewish population was repressed under the justification that their non-proletarian origin and religion, membership of political parties, and ties to family in foreign countries made them unreliable, facing mass-relocation, deportation, exile, arrest, seizure of property, and the deprivation of civil rights.

It is worth noting also the famine which accompanied the collectivisation of 1932-1933, which took the lives of around 20 thousand people, including many Jewish peasants.

On October 12. 1924, within the framework of the policy of “radicalisation� and national irredentism, the Autonomous Moldavian Socialist Soviet Republic was created as part of the Ukrainian SSR (with 8.5% Jewish population according to the 1926 Soviet census), which became the embryo of a separate sovereign republic within the USSR after the acquisition of Bessarabia in 1940. The annexation was carried out according to the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact after the defeat of France.

In determining the borders of the new republic, compact residence was taken into account - areas with a mixed population, in particular, Izmail and its environs (southern Bessarabia), became part of the Ukrainian SSR, which was also facilitated by economic, military, and political considerations. Part of the territories of the former autonomous republic also remained part of Ukraine.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

After war began between the Germans and Soviets in 1941, Romanian and German troops crossed the border. The north-eastern area of modern Moldova became part of Transnistria under Romanian administration, while the south-western part was annexed by Romania, with autonomy under the direct supervision of the Bessarabia Governorate. First, Transnistria was under Romanian civil administration, before coming under Romanian military control, and finally German military control. By the first stage, a policy of discrimination against inhabitants of non-Romanian origin was implemented, resulting in mass executions.

However, even though massacres had already begun at this stage of the war, Romania was the only direction through which the Jewish population of the region could escape (through ports on the Black Sea). Later, concentration camps and ghettos were established in Transnistria, to which, under pressure from their German allies, the authorities deported the Jews of Bessarabia and Bukovina.

Despite the milder repression imposed on the Jews of Romania (a significant portion of whom were able to survive the war) in the territories of modern Moldova and Ukraine, the Holocaust took on a more severe, albeit less organised, form. This involved long, forced migrations on foot, mass drownings (in the Dniester and the Southern Bug), and confinement in crowded and unsanitary conditions.

During the Usman-Botosani and second Iasi-ChiČ™inău offensives, the Red Army liberated the territory of modern Moldova from Romanian and German control. Around 50 thousand Jews survived the Holocaust in the region. After the war, some of the surviving Jews returned to Moldova from the USSR and Israel. According to the 1959 census, there was a Jewish population of 95,107. The list of the Righteous Among the Nations for Moldova contains 79 names.

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Jewish History in Moldova

After the war, under the framework of the campaign to fight against “rootless cosmopolitanism”, particularly in the “doctor’s case”, Moldovan Jews were fired and arrested. The cultural and religious life of the community was suppressed further, in particular, as part of the anti-clerical events of 1950-1960. Synagogues and cemeteries were closed, with the only synagogue officially remaining in operation located in Chișinău. According to the 1970 census, 98,072 Jews lived in Moldova. From this point on, the Jewish population of Moldova was in a state of constant decline, caused mainly by emigration due to socio-economic and politico-military factors (for instance, the conflict in Transnistria). Nevertheless, after gaining independence, the cultural and religious life of Jews in Moldova is gradually being restored.

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Survey Analysis

I

t was initially estimated that there were around 100 Jewish cemeteries in Moldova.

However, due to the lack of detailed information on locations and numbers, our surveyors needed to visit every locality with a historic Jewish population in order to determine no sites had been omitted. In total, ESJF surveyors visited 132 sites.

From these, our surveyors were able to locate and visit 72 cemetery sites (including 15 in the disputed Transnistria region), 70 of which were categorised and incorporated into the database.

In two cases (Ghersunovca and Cobasna), although we were able to confirm their existence with historic maps, our teams were unable to gain access to the cemetery sites themselves. As such, we can now exclude the existence of Jewish cemeteries at 60 of the sites visited.

Of the 70 sites surveyed and analysed in Moldova, 53 (76%) were found to be preserved and 17 (24%) were demolished.

Among the preserved sites, 29 have at least minimal fencing, 18 are not protected, and 6 are post-WWII Jewish sections on the municipal cemeteries.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

Of the demolished sites, 13 are overbuilt and 4 have not been built over.

Demolished and overbuilt Jewish cemetery 13 (19%)

Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery 29 (41%)

Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over 4 (6%) Jewish section within the municipal cemetery 6 (9%) Unfenced Jewish cemetery 18 (25%)

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Survey Analysis

The lists Over the past decades, two attempts have been made to catalogue the cemeteries of Moldova.

The first was undertaken by the US Commission in 2010. This report mentions 37 cemeteries.

The second large-scale project on the listing and study of Jewish cemeteries in Moldova has been ongoing since 2015 as part of the Jewishgen Bessarabia Special Interest Group under the leadership of Yefim Kogan. Materials from this project are published in the JOWBR database. As of today, the list contains 79 cemeteries in the former Bessarabian province of Russian Empire, of which 65 are on the territory of Moldova.

Reports on 48 cemeteries in the territory of modern Moldova have been published.

ESJF lists were compiled on the basis of this data, drawing as well from other sources: pre-WWII maps, memoirs, and special research.

Of the places mentioned in these lists, no cemeteries were found in Lăpușna, Șoldănești, Slobozia, Taraclia, or Ialoveni. Some Jewish sections in municipal cemeteries (Strășeni, Tiraspol, Dalnee) appeared to be mixed cemeteries with no separate Jewish sections and were therefore also excluded.

As a result of the work, 19 objects were included in the lists of Jewish cemeteries in Moldova: ●

Otaci Old Cemetery (demolished)

●

Baimaclia (demolished)

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

18

●

Chișinău

Old cemetery (demolished)

●

Călărași New cemetery (Jewish section on the municipal cemetery in Vătămăneasa)

●

Căușeni

Old cemetery (demolished)

●

Chișinău

Messianic Jewish cemetery (demolished)

●

Chișinău

Old cemetery on Izmail street (demolished)

●

Cremenciug

agricultural colony Jewish cemetery (preserved)

●

Onitskani

(demolished)

●

Pîrlița

(demolished)

●

Rîșcani

Old (demolished)

●

Sculeni

New (demolished)

●

Ungheni

Old (demolished)

●

Ungheni

Oldest (demolished),

●

Bender

Old (demolished)

●

Tiraspol

Old (demolished)

●

Dubăsari

Old (demolished)

●

Țîbuleuca

(Jewish cemetery of Yagorlyk, preserved)

●

Cobasna

(probably preserved)

Survey Analysis

15 of these were demolished and 4 were preserved (including 1 Jewish section on a municipal cemetery).

A considerable proportion of these cemeteries only appear to be newly “discovered” because the existing databases did not focus on demolished cemeteries. The Jewishgen and JOWBR databases are primarily centred around cemeteries with preserved tombstones. Some of the demolished cemeteries mentioned above were known to specialists, but were not included in any database.

Thus, during the work of ESJF in Moldova, the proportion of demolished and preserved cemeteries has substantially changed.

Of the 17 demolished cemeteries surveyed during the project, 15 were first listed.

This makes the rate of demolished cemeteries in Moldova 24% and the preserved ones 76%.

The data obtained allows us to get an initial idea of the ​​ level of preservation of cemeteries in the country. The resulting percentage of demolished cemeteries in Moldova remains lower than in neighbouring Ukraine (where it is 34.8%), but much higher than in Slovakia (7%).

It should be noted that not all demolished cemeteries were found. It is known that the Jewish cemetery in Criuleni, Cornești, and the oldest Jewish cemetery in Făleşti existed, as well as in a number of other places. It can be assumed that with further work the percentage of demolished cemeteries will grow.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

Dating The oldest preserved Jewish tombstones in Moldova known today date to the early 18th cemetery.

Tombstones from the 18th century are recorded in Orhei, Rașcov old, Lipkani, and Onițcani. Most likely, the cemeteries in Bălți, Briceni, and Vadul-Rașcov were established in the same period In the majority of known cemeteries in Moldova, the oldest tombstone dates to the 19th century and most likely these cemeteries emerged around the same period. This is the case in: Alexăndreni, Otaci New (Vălcineț), Basarabeasca, Briceva, Cimișlia, Dumbrăveni, Fălești Old cemetery, Hîncești, Cahul,Călărași Old, Căpreşti, Cremenciug, Leova, Lublin, Mărculești, Rezina Old cemetery, Soroca, Telenești Old, Valea lui Vlad, Vărzărești, Edineț, Zgurița, Dubăsari New, Camenca, Rașcov New, Rîbnița Old, and Țîbuleuca.

The cemeteries which arose in early 20th century include: Ceadîr-Lunga, Florești, Chișinău Sculeanca Jewish Cemetery (Preserved part), Comrat, Telenești New, Tîrgul Vertiujeni, Bender New, Grigoriopol, and Tiraspol New. Finally, 8 cemeteries were founded in the post-WWII period: all six of which are Jewish sections within municipal cemeteries (Fălești New, Călărași Jewish section on the municipal cemetery in Vătămăneasa, Chișinău Jewish section on St. Lazarus («Doina») municipal cemetery, Rezina Jewish section on the municipal, Ungheni New, and the Jewish section on Rîbnița municipal cemetery), as well as a separate post-war cemetery in Rîșcani and, most likely, the Cinişeuţi New Jewish cemetery (dating requires further investigation)

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Survey Analysis

A particularly interesting find was the previously unlisted 18th-century cemetery in Onițcani. The cemetery was destroyed and the site used as a garden. However, during the survey 4 gravestones from the 18th century were found lying next to the garden, which, according to locals, were removed from the site.

Post-WWII use of the cemeteries The continued use of a Jewish cemetery is an important marker of a Jewish presence even with the post-war decline of Jewish communities. Post-WWII use of cemeteries is evidence of communities that have retained their Jewish identity in that period.

Of the 53 preserved cemeteries surveyed, 42 cemeteries across 37 communities were used after 1945. Of these, 21 cemeteries from 17 settlements were used in the last 15 years, which is to say that they can still be considered operational.

We do not know whether cemeteries that were later demolished were used after WWII. However, it can be concluded that the practice of using Jewish cemeteries existed after World War II in at least 37 settlements; in 17 settlements, this practice persists today.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

Preservation and protection The presence of a Jewish community using a cemetery is an essential factor in preserving and protecting cemeteries.

The preserved cemeteries can be divided into three groups: 1) cemeteries which are still used today (in places with a Jewish population today): 21 objects.

2) cemeteries that were used after WWII, but not in the last 15 years (in places where the community recovered after WWII, but ceased to exist over time): 21 objects.

3) cemeteries that were not used after WWII (mostly in settlements where the Jewish population was destroyed or lost its identity): 11 objects.

Of the 21 operating cemeteries, 18 (86%) are protected and fenced, which makes up the vast majority. These are 5 Jewish sections on municipal cemeteries and 13 separate Jewish cemeteries. Only three are marked as unprotected (Basarabeasca, Briceni, and Lipcani). However, each of these is at least partially fenced.

Of the 21 cemeteries used after WWII, but not in the last 15 years, 14 (67%) are protected - a high rate which is still lower than among the existing ones. 13 of these are individual Jewish cemeteries, while 1 is a Jewish section on a municipal cemetery. 7 are entirely unfenced.

Of the remaining 11 cemeteries that were not used after WWII, 8 (i.e. 72%) are abandoned and do not have fencing. All five cemeteries recorded during the project with a high degree of destruction, that is, those with less than ten tombstones, belong

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Survey Analysis

to that group. It can be inferred that most of the cemeteries in places where the Jewish community did not return after WWII have been demolished.

The above figures clearly show that in the absence of state support for the preservation of Jewish heritage in Moldova, the local Jewish population is still a key factor in preserving and protecting cemeteries. Only in the last ten years has the involvement of foreign donors and national structures in the restoration of cemeteries become a significant factor.

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Restitution and legal context

U

ntil it became independent in 1991, Moldova was part of the Soviet Union.

Since 1991, restitution of Jewish cemeteries has not been raised by the government in Moldova. As such, cemetery sites are often owned by municipalities.

Jewish cemeteries are not considered the property of Jewish communities. However, Jewish communities are still responsible for the maintenance and operation of both Jewish cemeteries and Jewish sections on municipal cemeteries.

According to the Regulation on Cemeteries (approved by Government Decree of the Republic of Moldova # 1072 of October 22, 1998), in the Republic of Moldova cemeteries are under the jurisdiction of local authorities. Closed cemeteries, according to this regulation, are cultural and historical monuments. Construction is prohibited on their territory, and the responsibility for their preservation lies with the municipalities.

The municipalities do not always participate in the preservation and maintenance of old Jewish cemeteries; they are considered monuments on paper but are not always treated as such in practice.

Moreover, not all known cemeteries are in practice the property of municipalities. There are a number of exceptions:

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

1) Demolished cemeteries in most cases do not carry the same legal status of a cemetery. Their territory was often transferred to the municipal fund of agricultural land or land for construction, as well as to private ownership. Of the 17 demolished cemeteries surveyed during ESJF project: 8 remain in municipal ownership (overbuilt by municipal institutions and facilities - multi-storey residential complexes, public parks, hospitals, house of culture, etc.).

2 are occupied by state institutions (a library and a practice circuit for learner drivers).

7 are privately owned (private houses, industrial buildings, and agriculture).

2) Some of the preserved cemeteries are not listed as such in the state cadastral register, and therefore do not have legal cemetery status. In this case, the land falls under the municipal land fund for agriculture or development, or is transferred to private ownership. No one bears de facto responsibility for the preservation of these cemeteries.

3) In some cases, the territory of the Jewish cemetery was bought or leased by Jewish individuals or organizations - for example, the New Otaci cemetery (Velchinets) or the demolished Old cemetery in Sculeni, which was restored by a new owner, who fenced off the site and constructed a memorial.

4) Only one Jewish cemetery (the preserved part of the Sculeanca Jewish cemetery in Chișinău) is included in the Register of Monuments of the Republic of Moldova, protected by the state. In 2017-2018, the “Museum of the History of the Jews of the Republic of Moldova” was established,

26

Restitution and legal context

one branch of which is the Jewish cemetery. The cemetery was transferred to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova.

Overall, the absence of restitution, when combined with the lack of resources and political will to maintain Jewish cemeteries, often amounts to their neglect. Mobilising municipal actors is therefore a key first step towards ensuring protection.

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Educational Work conducted in the Framework of the Pilot Project

I

t is our belief that long-term preservation begins on a local level, by encouraging local actors to take an active interest in protecting their own cultural heritage. However, with two world wars, the Holocaust, and the mass migration which took place in its wake, in many of the regions surveyed there is no Jewish community to speak of, and hence awareness of local Jewish history is scarce.

As such, the challenge becomes engaging with local communities and changing the way they perceive Jewish cemeteries. Our aim in our educational projects is to show inhabitants that, rather than artefacts from an alien, extinct culture, these cemeteries represent a significant part of their own material heritage. By teaching young people how to engage with their local Jewish cemeteries, as well as preparing educators to integrate the topic into their curriculum, our goal was to cultivate a respect and interest in Jewish heritage in the next generation.

In Moldova, this involved a series of secondary school outreach events around the country, in which Dr. Irina Shikhova — an education expert from the “Magid� Scientific

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

and Education Centre — taught students about the history of Jews in Moldova, as well as the Jewish history of their specific towns and villages, before leading them on excursions to their local Jewish cemeteries, as well as other places of local Jewish interest. A teacher training event had also been planned to take place, but the spread of COVID-19 led to its cancellation.

The first of the program’s secondary school outreach events took place in Briceva on October 20th, 2019. This event was attended by students from the Lyceum in the village of Baraboi. Dr. Shikhova began the event with an introduction to the Jewish history of Moldova, before carrying on to teach the students about the history of Judaism in the city, as well as some background on its cemetery. Afterwards, the students were encouraged to disperse and explore the cemetery site, photographing the most interesting tombstones. Afterwards, the group gathered again to discuss the photographs and the symbolism employed on Jewish gravestones. Dr. Shikhova then led a question and answer session, in which she addressed Jewish cemeteries and funeral rites, the history and traditions of European Judaism, anti-semitism, and the Holocaust. Transport for the students to and from the cemetery was arranged by the office of the Mayor of Baraboi.

Carrying on with the same formula as the first event, another secondary school outreach took place on the 28th of October 2019, in Orhei. Here, Dr. Shikhova spoke to 30 students from the “Rambam” Jewish Lyceum in Chișinău. Again, Dr. Shikhova taught the students about the history of Judaism in their region, as well as the more generalised history of Jews in Moldova, before teaching them a little about the history of the cemetery they were visiting. The students were then allowed to explore the cemetery for 15 minutes, photographing gravestones with features they considered interesting. Afterwards, the group gathered to discuss the symbols on the gravestones and share their photographs. A question and answer session

30

Educational Work conducted in the Framework of the Pilot Project

then took place, in which topics such as Jewish history and culture, Jewish funeral rites, and the Holocaust were discussed. The event in Orhei also involved a tour of notable Jewish sites in the city.

Next, on November 6th, 2019, Dr. Shikhova led another secondary school outreach event, this time in Fălești, for senior pupils from the Catranîc village Lyceum. Dr. Shikhova taught the students about the Jewish history of Moldova, before speaking more specifically about the historical Jewish presence in the region, and the background of the cemetery they were visiting. The students were then allowed to move freely around the cemetery site, photographing the tombstones which struck them as the most interesting. The photographs were then shared and discussed, with Dr. Shikhova providing information and the importance and meaning of symbols in Jewish cemeteries. Finally, a question and answer session was held, covering such issues as Jewish funeral rites, the importance of cemeteries in the context of Jewish history and culture, and the devastating effects of the Holocaust. As part of the event, the students were also taken to visit the museum of local lore, where they were taught how Judaism fits into their own cultural heritage.

The final secondary school outreach event took place on February 25th, 2020, at the Lomonosov Lyceum in Orhei. Olga Sivak of the Itzik Manger Jewish Library led the event, lecturing 34 students from the 11th and 12th grades on the history of the Jewish community of Orhei, which dates back to the 17th century. Sivak explored many of the formative events in the development of this community and discussed notable members.

However, the majority of the talk was dedicated to local Jewish cemeteries, Jewish burial traditions, and interpreting the symbols most commonly found on matzevot. Finally, the students were given the opportunity to apply this new knowledge in an interactive portion of the presentation, during which they dated gravestones based on the symbols they had been taught to read.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

A teacher training event was originally also planned to take place in Chișinău on the 13th of March 2020. However, on March 10th, ESJF received a letter from Julia Sheinman – Director of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova – informing us that the event was cancelled due to the Minister of Health’s statement on COVID-19.

In the next months the ESJF adapted its teacher training events to an online format, and was able to reschedule the event. The training was delivered in a webinar format using Zoom, and was attended by 20 teachers from various locations in Moldova.

We received support from the Galina Karger from the International Centre for Training and Development, and Yulia Sheinman from the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova. The training received positive feedback, and the ESJF has since received informal requests from teachers inquiring about the possibility of similar online events, a request the organisation hopes to accommodate in the future, based on the experience gained in this first trial event.

Date

Location

Programme

No. of Attendees

20/10/2019

Briceva (Baraboi Lyceum)

Secondary school outreach: Dr. Irina Shikhova lectured the students on the following:

15-20

The Jewish history of Moldova.

The history of Judaism in their city.

The background of the cemetery.

Afterwards, Dr. Shikhova led the students on an excursion to the cemetery.

Students were encouraged to explore and photograph interesting tombstones.

Finally, the photographs were discussed and Shikhova led a question and answer session.

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Educational Work conducted in the Framework of the Pilot Project

Date

Location

Programme

No. of Attendees

28/10/2019

Chișinău (“Rambam” Jewish Lyceum)

Secondary school outreach: Dr. Irina Shikhova lectured the students on the following:

25-30

The Jewish history of Moldova.

The history of Judaism in their city.

The background of the cemetery.

Afterwards, Dr. Shikhova led the students on an excursion to the cemetery in Orhei.

Students were encouraged to explore and photograph interesting tombstones.

The program also included an excursion to the Jewish attractions of Orhei city, Finally, the photographs were discussed and Shikhova led a question and answer session.

06/11/2019

Fălești (Catranîc village Lyceum)

Secondary school outreach: Dr. Irina Shikhova lectured the students on the following:

20

The Jewish history of Moldova.

The history of Judaism in their city.

The background of the cemetery.

Afterwards, Dr. Shikhova led the students on an excursion to the cemetery. Students were encouraged to explore and photograph interesting tombstones. They visited the local history museum where they learnt the connections between Jewish culture and majority culture. Finally, the photographs were discussed and Shikhova led a question and answer session.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

Date

Location

Programme

No. of Attendees

25/02/2020

Orhei (Lomonosov Lyceum)

Secondary school outreach: Olga Sivak of the Itzik Manger Jewish Library lectured students from the 11th and 12th grades on the following:

34

The history of the Jewish community in Orhei.

The formative events in the development of this community.

Notable members of the community.

Local cemeteries.

Jewish burial traditions.

Dating matzevot.

Matzevot symbology.

Students were then tasked with dating photographs of tombstones based on the techniques they had learned.

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Educational Work conducted in the Framework of the Pilot Project

Date

Location

Programme

No. of Attendees

05/05/2020

Zoom (online)

Teacher training: Held in cooperation with the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, the Moldovan Ministry of Education, and the International Centre for Training and Professional Development, this event was reorganised to be held as a webinar due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event consisted of:

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n introduction from Diana VonA nak, Yulia Sheinman, and Alexamdra Fishel. talk on Jewish history and meA morial traditions from Karger Galina, Director of the International Centre for Training and Professional Development. lesson on reading Jewish tombA stones from Dr Fishel and Olga Sivak. discussion of Holocaust memoA rials in Bessarabia and Transnistria from Goncharova Tatiana.

The webinar was attended by teachers from Chișinău, Călărași, Glodeni, Bălți, and Cantemir.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

36

Conclusion

T

he pilot project succeeded in producing a comprehensive survey of the Jewish cemeteries of Moldova. Based on our surveys we can safely exclude the existence of a Jewish cemetery in 60 locations, where the size of its former Jewish population could have indicated the existence of a burial site. We surveyed 70 sites and uploaded aerial photographs and GPS coordinates, as well as detailed information about them to the project database.

Local authorities were contacted at every location and provided information about the project. We invited them to work towards increased protection measures for Jewish cemeteries, which led to the collaborative fencing of three sites. These developments are often rather slow, so we expect further collaboration to stem from the pilot project long after its conclusion. The absence of restitution means that involving local authorities is of crucial importance in Moldova, and our experience suggests that a sense of ownership is present in many locations, if not always accompanied by the resources and expertise needed for engagement-based protection models. The Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, as well as the Ministry of Culture, offered support in making these cooperative endeavours possible, but there is much room for further protection work, including soft measures like awareness raising.

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Country Report: Moldova. ESJF surveys, analysis and educational events, 2018-2020

The ESJF contributed to raised awareness among high school students and teachers through education events that brought the Jewish cemetery to the classroom, and fostered a broader understanding of the Jewish history and heritage of Moldova than the normally available curricular elements that tend to focus on the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Feedback from these suggests an appetite for such training events, and a high demand for similar projects in the future. The network of teachers we built will continue to benefit from the resources produced in the course of the project, including our manual, “Jewish Cemeteries in the Classroom - an ESJF Guide�, which we produced based on the experience of educational events conducted in the course of the pilot project.

Overall, our findings from the pilot project suggest that engaging mayors and other municipal stakeholders provides an easy and rewarding entry to protecting Jewish cemeteries in Moldova. This need not focus on fencing, but can suggest alternative routes such as maintenance measures, especially if it relies on a broader coalition of local stakeholders. Education is a crucial element in making protection measures socially sustainable, and our engagement suggests that the relative lack of reliable information about Jewish heritage translates into a rather intense demand among both students and teachers. Our approach that conceptualised Jewish heritage as part of our shared, European heritage has proven popular and eye-opening, and the handson approach of visiting cemeteries was well received. It would be fruitful to continue this classroom work and eventually translate it into policy suggestions for the benefit of future generations in Moldova.

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