Moldovan parliament hosts roundtable on Holocaust's lessons

Chisinau, 29 January /MOLDPRES/ - The report on the implementation of the action plan on the Holocaust in Moldova, as well as the actions undertaken by the authorities, so that the Holocaust history never repeats have been unveiled at a roundtable held at the parliament. The event is organized by the parliament, in partnership with the Jewish Community of Moldova and the Moldovan government, within a programme of actions for the commemoration of the Holocaust’s victims, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.    

Members of the parliament and cabinet, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic missions, members of the Jewish and Romany communities, representatives of the civil society participated in the discussions.

According to Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, it is for the first time after many years when Moldova has fulfilled commitments and has determination to exclude all reticence which hindered the knowledge of the history and the learning of the lessons.     

”The history of the Holocaust is our history. It is ours everybody’s tragedy. The awareness of this thing at the level of the state and of each resident of Moldova is an achievement which we must strengthen. Time is ripe for the fight against the intolerance, Antisemitism and xenophobia, discrimination and racism be an obligation of each of us,” Andrian Candu said in the beginning of the event.   

”The political declaration on the acceptance of the Report of the International Commission on the Holocaust, presided over by Elie Wiesel, which was adopted by the parliament, is one of the most courageous documents,” the head of the Jewish Community of Moldova, Alexandr Bilinkis, said.    

Chairman of the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad Paul Packer appreciated the actions carried out by the authorities for commemorating the Holocaust’s victims. He noted that the efforts made would have deep effects. Vice President of the Israeli Knesset Tali Ploskov thanked the authorities for the homage paid to the ancestors who experienced the ordeal of the Holocaust. 

”Moldova has made significant progress in the recovery of the memory of the Holocaust, recognized including by international organizations,” Foreign Affairs and European Integration Minister Tudor Ulianovschi said.    

Education, Culture and Research Minister, who divested herself of duties, Monica Babuc specified that the school syllabus from gymnasiums and lyceums had been completed with special chapters about the Holocaust. Babuc noted that the optional curriculum about the Holocaust would be included in the 2019 school year.   

The sacrifices and lessons of the Holocaust, as well as the commitments to combat the Antisemitism were evoked by United States Ambassador to Moldova Dereck J. Hogan, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova Claus Neukirch and the chairwoman of the Never Again Association from Poland, Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska.    

The chairman of the Jewish Communities Federation of Romania, Aurel Vainer, addressed a video message to the participants in the discussions. At the same time, the executive director of the Porojan Romany Public Association, Ion Duminica, and the head of the association of the former detainees of the ghettos and concentration camps, Iosif Belous, referred to the lessons of the Holocaust.    

Moldova’s parliament condemned the Holocaust in July 2014, by adopting a political declaration on the acceptance of the Report of the International Commission on the Holocaust, presided over by Elie Wiesel. The political declaration condemns any attempts of ignoring and denying the Holocaust and pays respects for the victims and their survivors.  

The National Holocaust Remembrance Day has been annually marked in Moldova since 2015, under a decision approved by the parliament.