Moldovan parliament speaker awards distinctions to U.S. official, head of Moldova's Jewish community

Chisinau, 29 January /MOLDPRES/ - Chairman of the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad Paul Packer and the head of the Jewish Community from Moldova, Alexandr Bilinkis, have been awarded distinctions by Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu, the parliament’s communication and public relations department has reported.  

The Medal of Democracy – the highest distinction of the parliament, was awarded to Paul Packer as a token of high gratitude for support in edifying a society in the spirit of tolerance, non-discrimination and respect for the rights of citizens of all ethnic groups from Moldova, as well as for meritorious contribution to the development of the Moldova-USA relations.    

The head of the Jewish Community from Moldova, Alexandr Bilinkis, was awarded the distinction for meritorious contributions to strengthening the social cohesion and development of the rule of law state, in line with the goals set by Moldova’s parliament.  

Also today, the parliament inaugurated an exhibition of historical photos and documents for the remembrance of the Holocaust’s victims. The exhibition comprises terrible pictures showing the history of the Holocaust on the present territory of Moldova. A Jewish Moldovan family album and 15 black-and-white pictures show the realities and experiences of people who went through the ordeal of Antisemitism.  

The exhibition also contains a selection of books, historical and archive documents, memories, studies and researches about the Holocaust. The documents, edited in the Romanian, English and Russian languages, are offered by the Jewish Library I. Mangher. 

The exhibition will opened for public till the end of this week.

The event is part of a programme of actions organized by the parliament, in partnership with the Jewish Community of Moldova and the Moldovan government, in order to commemorate the Holocaust’s victims. The event will end with the first ever screening of a film titled, Who will write our history, at the Patria Emil Loteanu movie theatre. The documentary is a world premiere and will be screened in Europe, the USA, Canada, in diverse museums and community centres from all over the world.