Commemoration of Jewish pogrom's victims

Chisinau, April 21 /MOLDPRES/- Speaker Igor Grosu participated today in commemoration ceremony of the victims of the Jewish pogrom in Chisinau in 1903. The event marks the 120th anniversary of this pogrom, the parliament's communication and public relations department has reported.

Attending the event were MPs, representatives of the diplomatic staff, central public authorities, members of the Jewish community from the Republic of Moldova and from abroad, as well as representatives of public associations.

The speaker's message reads that the atrocities committed against the Jews shocked, by their cruelty, not only the population of Chisinau, but also the entire Jewish and international community. "There is no ideology in this world that is worth a man's life. Our duty, of the state authorities, of the Jewish community in Moldova, of the entire international community is to preserve the memory of those events and to convey to our generations how important peace and tranquility is in our homes and countries", he said.

During April, the Parliament hosts an exhibition of archive photos and documents commemorating the victims of the Jewish pogrom in Chisinau in 1903. The exhibits present shocking images and details from the period of the pogrom and belong to the National Archives Agency.

The Jewish pogrom took place in Chisinau on April 19-21, 1903 (April 6-8, according to the old-style calendar). At that time, 110 thousand people lived in the capital of Bessarabia, a governorate of the Russian Empire, of which 50 thousand were Jews. During the pogrom, 49 Jews were killed, more than 600 others were injured, and about 1500 buildings owned by Jews were destroyed.

Photo: Parliament