President Klaus Iohannis has signed the decree for the creation of the National Museum of History of the Jewish People and the Holocaust in Romania
Every year on October 9 Romania pays homage to the victims of the Holocaust in Romania. The date bares an important significance, because on this day in 1941 the deportation of Jews from Romania was started. This dark chapter of our country's history preceded the legionnaire pogrom of January 1941 in Bucharest, and the one in Iasi in June later that year. Nearly 80 years on, President Klaus Iohannis has given the go-ahead for the creation of the first National Museum of History of the Jewish People and the Holocaust. The venue will be an 8,000 square-meter eight-storey building dating from the inter-war period at the heart of Bucharest, on Victory Road. The funding will be ensured by the state, via the "Elie Wiesel" National Institute for Holocaust Studies, as well as other donations and sponsorships. President Iohannis said this museum should be a symbol of solidarity against intolerance, anti-Semitism and discrimination. He pointed out that Jewish heritage is representative of national culture, which is why the National Museum of History of the Jewish People and the Holocaust will be tasked with capitalizing on this heritage. The president also believes this is a project that will bring people closer together.
"By building this museum, Romania strongly fosters the history, legacy and culture of those who have contributed to the creation of our nation. You all agree the museum should be an institution of the future, an ally of education against ignorance, a fortress of solidarity and civic patriotism in the face of intolerance, anti-Semitism and discrimination".
In turn, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila pointed out she has closely supported this initiative, arguing no effort is too great in order to combat any kind of prejudice fuelling anti-Semitism, racism, intolerance, xenophobia and discrimination. An international commission headed by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel concluded in 2004 that between 280,000 and 380,000 Romanian and Ukrainian Jews were killed in Romania and areas it controlled during the war, as an ally of Nazi Germany. Romania switched sides in the war in 1944 when the Red Army assaulted the Balkans. The communist regime that took the power did little to reveal the horrors of the Holocaust. Romania has only recently started to come to terms with its role in the extermination of Jews, admitting for the first time in 2003 that it had taken part. The new museum aims to promote the history, culture and traditions of Jews in the country and highlight their contribution to modernizing Romanian society.
(Translated by V. Palcu)
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