NCSJ - Moldova page

Population: 4.32 million

Ethnic Composition:
78.2% Moldovan/Romanian, 8.4% Ukrainian, 5.8% Russian, 4.4% Gaugauz, 1.9% Bulgarian, and 1.3% other

Religion: 98% Eastern Orthodox Christian, 1.5% Jewish, .5 % Baptist and other

Jewish population: 23-30,000
2006 Aliyah
(emigration to Israel): 271
1989-2006 Aliyah:: 50,091

Size: 33,843 sq km
Capital: Chisinau (Kishinev)
Major cities: Chisinau, Balti, Bender, Tiraspol

Freedom House Rating:
Partly Free

Currency: 12.25 lei = $1

GDP: $6.197 billion (2008 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,500 (2008 est.)
GDP Growth: 7.2% (2008 est.)

Head of State:
Acting President Mihai Ghimpu

Head of Government:
Prime Minister Vladimir Filat

Foreign Minister:
Iurie Leanea

Ambassador to United States: [vacant]

U.S. Ambassador to Moldova: Asif J. Chaudhry

Chronology of all U.S. envoys to Moldova

SUMMARY

Historically and ethnically akin to neighboring Romania, Moldova has progressed unsteadily toward democracy since its independence following the Soviet collapse. Historical disputes between Romania and Russia over Moldovan territories, particularly Transnistria, have contributed to prolonged ethnic and separatist conflict and a continued limited Russian military presence on Moldovan territory. These factors, together with rampant corruption and economic hardship, have impeded reform efforts.

The 2001 parliamentary elections officially reinstated Communist rule for the first time in a former Soviet state, reducing expectations for reform and straining relations with Moldova’s closest ally, Romania. In the 2005 parliamentary elections, the Communist Party won a majority of the seats in the Parliament. President Vladimir Voronin, head of the Community Party, was re-elected on a pro-Western platform that emphasized reforms and integration with the EU. The April 2009 Parliamentary elections caused massive peaceful protests, which degenerated into violent riots. After a second election in June, a new coalition was formed called the Alliance for European Integration, putting the Communists in opposition for the first time in eight years. The AEI will act as the governing coalition until the next parliamentary elections can be held. Economic ties remain strong with Romania, Ukraine, and Russia, but a weak industrial infrastructure and high foreign debt render Moldova economically vulnerable and highly dependent on imports from abroad. Tensions with Russia over Transnistria and Moldova’s pro-Western orientation have led to punitive Russian economic measures that have affected the Moldovan economy.

Moldova’s Jewish population has deep roots in the area, but in recent years has experienced high levels of emigration. Local organizations actively cooperate with Israeli and American organizations. Jewish community relations with the Moldovan government are good, though the national and local authorities have done little to restore confiscated properties to the Jewish community.

return to top

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

INTRODUCTION
POLITICAL SITUATION
    Transnistria
    Foreign Policy
    Religious Policy
ECONOMIC SITUATION
JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE & ANTI-SEMITISM
    History
    Community Development
    Anti-Semitism
U.S. POLICY

Moldova, a landlocked nation slightly larger than the State of Maryland, is bordered by Ukraine and Romania. Formerly known as Moldavia, this largely Romanian-speaking country was repeatedly divided and dominated by its larger neighbors: Turks and Russians in the early 19th century, Romania and Russia in the late 19th century, and Romania and the USSR during the 20th. The country was not officially called Moldova until its independence in 1991. In 1940, the Soviet Union forcibly annexed Bessarabia from Romania, giving Moldova its present borders, which were reinforced after the war. Moldova established independence under its new name on August 27, 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

return to headings

POLITICAL SITUATION

Moldova’s politics continue to be dominated by the ramifications of the break-away region of Transnistria, which has impeded Moldova’s economic growth and political goal of closer integration with the European Union. The Transnistria issue also colors Moldova’s foreign relations, given Moldova’s continued economic dependence on Russia, and Russia’s continued support for the Russian-speaking separatist regime. During the 2009 Parliamentary elections, the citizens of Transnistria were denied access to the polls to cast votes.

After its independence, Moldova struggled for several years as a presidential republic with an ineffective parliament, as it lacked a new constitution and faced separatist unrest in the Turkish-speaking region of Gaugauzia in the south and the Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking region of Transnistria in the east. A new constitution, adopted in 1994, granted Gaugauzia autonomy effectively ending its separatist tendencies. In 2000, the Parliament approved a constitutional amendment making Moldova a parliamentary republic.

The new constitution established a unicameral 101-member parliament (“Parlamentul”), a constitutional court, and a presidency. The Parliament elects the President for a 4-year term. The President then appoints a Prime Minister and a cabinet. These appointments must be confirmed by parliament.

Moldova’s first president was its former Communist leader Mircea Snegur, who ran unopposed as an independent in late 1991. He strongly promoted Moldovan nationalism and was against outright reunification with Romania, while favoring close cultural and political ties with Bucharest. Snegur eventually distanced his country from Romania by changing the flag to be uniquely Moldovan and making Moldovan the official language.

The 1996 presidential election, considered free and fair by international observers, resulted in victory for center-left independent candidate Petru Lucinschi. Parliamentary elections in 1998 led to a majority centrist coalition taking power, although the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) won a plurality of votes. In December 2000, Lucinschi dissolved parliament after it failed to elect a new president.

In the 2001 elections, internationally certified as free and fair, the PCRM won a majority of seats. The new parliament, in turn, elected PCRM leader Vladimir Voronin to succeed Lucinschi as president. President Voronin worked to reduce poverty by increasing social spending and pursued privatization of state-owned enterprises.

In the run-up to the March 2005 Presidential and Parliamentary election, the PCRM dramatically liberalized its platform and repositioned itself as Moldova’s leading pro-European party, with European integration and economic modernization as its major stated goals. The PCRM won 45.98 percent of the vote, giving them 56 seats in the parliament. Voronin was reelected as president in April 2005, with the help of several former opposition parties who joined the PCRM after Voronin promised to implement reforms and pursue further integration with the West. The OSCE supervised the election, found that it generally met international standards despite a number of flaws, and did not dispute the victory of the PCRM .

The 2005 elections increased tensions with Russia. Moldova alleged that a Russian group, the CIS Elections Monitoring Organization, was campaigning for the pro-Russian candidate and banned them from entering the country. When CIS-EMO members entered and were caught distributing campaign materials, they were deported, angering Russia and weakening bilateral ties. Moldova today remains divided between pro-Western and pro-Russian factions, with the former currently in power.

In the April 5, 2009 parliamentary elections, 60 of the 101 parliamentary seats were won by the Communist Party. However, massive peaceful protests, which degenerated into violent riots, helped to influence the three opposition parties elected to the remaining 41 seats against cooperating with the Communist Party. The Communist Party was one seat short of the 61 seats needed for a super-majority, so parliament could not elect a president. As a result, new parliamentary elections had to be called.

The new parliamentary election on July 29th, 2009, drew a turnout of 1.6 million voters, 58.6% of the available voters. The elections resulted in the opposition parties amounting 53 seats and the Communist Party retaining only 48. Elections were observed by 3,000 international and local officials, and these officials have positively evaluated the elections on the whole. However, there were still a number of shortcomings. It was recommended to the government of Moldova that they create a state electoral registration in an effort to alleviate discrepancies. Moldova was also advised to modernize the electoral process through the implementation of electronic voting.

Following the election, the four former opposition parties that gained the majority of seats in the Moldovan Parliament formed a new coalition called Alliance for European Integration. The AEI will act as the governing coalition until the next parliamentary elections can be held. The Communists are in opposition for the first time in eight years. The simple majority of the opposition parties gave them enough votes to elect the next speaker of the parliament to ratify the selection of the government by Moldova’s president. However, a super-majority of votes, 61, is required to elect the country’s president. And therefore, unless members of the Communist Party change allegiance, Moldova faces the same danger of deadlock and dissolution that followed the April Parliamentary Elections, only with the party roles now reversed. While Moldova’s constitution forces a new parliamentary election of no president can be elected, it also states that only one dissolution of parliament can occur per year. Perisident Veronin resigned in September 2009, and the speaker of the Parliament, Mihai Ghimpu, became acting President. The next parliamentary elections will be held in summer 2010.

return to headings

Transnistria (aka Transdniester, Transdnistria, Pridnestrovye)

On September 2, 1990, Transnistria - that part of Moldova that lies east of the Dniester River and contains a large Russian and Ukrainian population - unilaterally declared its independence from Chisinau and proclaimed its largest city, Tiraspol, as its capital. Many in Transnistria at the time feared the rise of Moldovan nationalism and the country's expected unification with Romania. The Soviet government at the time, the international community and Moldova, have never recognized Transnistria as independent. The confrontation between Moldovan authorities and the Transnistrian separatists gradually escalated in the early 1990s, with locally-stationed Russian military units and armed volunteers from Russia and Ukraine supporting the separatists. A brief but sharp war broke out in early 1992, in which hundreds were killed and thousands displaced before a ceasefire was signed in July 1992. Moldova was effectively divided into two, with Transnistria outside Chisinau’s control; relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol remain tense and mistrustful more than a decade after the ceasefire. Ongoing border issues between the two have resulted in low-level confrontations between Moldovan and Transnistrian forces in recent years.

Transnistria’s population is nearly two-thirds Slavic, although Moldovan speakers still form the single largest plurality. It is ruled by an authoritarian government calling itself the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), headed by President Igor Smirnov (a Russian-born Russian citizen), and backed politically and militarily by Russia, which has troops stationed in the region. The Transnistrian authorities have a poor human rights record and a history of aggression and abuse against the media, minority religious groups, and non-Russian speakers. Despite its current autonomy, Transnistria is not recognized by any other state. Smirnov has served as the head of PMR since 1990, and was last reelected in December 2006 to another 5-year term.

Economically, Transnistria is important to Moldova’s economy. More heavily industrialized than the rest of Moldova, it comprises 40 percent of Moldova’s GDP and produces 90 percent of its electricity. In late 2005, a Russian-owned electrical station in Transnistria temporarily cut off power to Moldova in what many saw was a politically motivated act.

Despite negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), movement toward a settlement of the conflict has been slow. In 1997, Moldova and Transnistria agreed to remain one country, and in 1998 Russia agreed to reduce its forces. Negotiations with the OSCE at the 1999 Istanbul Summit resulted in a December 2001 deadline for the evacuation of the remaining Russian troops and arsenal. After a succession of partial and postponed withdrawals, Russia stated in January 2003 that it would maintain its military presence in the region for “security” purposes. There are currently 1,500 Russian troops stationed in Transnistria.

OSCE-backed negotiations on the status of Transnistria and Gaugauzia have led to proposals that the two regions become states within a federated Moldova. However, the Transnistrian regime has continued to obstruct both the negotiations to resolve Transnistria’s status and the Russian military withdrawal, leading the increasingly frustrated European Union (EU) and United States to impose a travel ban on the region’s leadership in March 2003, renewed in 2004 and 2005. Transnistria imposed a reciprocal entry ban on 14 Moldovan government officials, including Prime Minister Tarlev. In November 2003, President Voronin initially agreed to a Russian plan for settling the Transnistrian conflict after lengthy opaque negotiations among Moldovan, Transnistrian and Russian officials. After the OSCE refused to endorse the document and opposition parties held widespread anti-government protests again what they described as a plan that favored pro-Russian Transnistria, President Voronin withdrew his support and cancelled a planned signing ceremony to have been attended by President Putin. Subsequent progress has been limited, and marked by growing Russian displeasure with Moldova.

In July 2005, the Moldovan government passed a law establishing an autonomous territory in Transnistria within the Republic of Moldova. Passed without consultation with PRM, the law was condemned by PRM officials and subsequently ignored.

In October 2005, Moldovan and PRM officials held talks, together with mediators from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE, with the U.S. and the E.U. observing. However, these and later sessions made little progress on resolving this “frozen conflict,” or on withdrawal of Russian forces from Moldova.

Following the December 2005 parliamentary elections in PRM, the OSCE and international community did not recognize the elections as valid. The OSCE maintains that no democratic elections can take place in Transnistria under the current circumstances, and it refuses to monitor any elections held there.

In September 2006, Transnistria held an electoral referendum. According to Transnistrian authorities, nearly 80 percent of all registered voters were for and overwhelmingly supported the eventual independence of Transnistria and its subsequent free association with Russia, and similarly rejected reunification with Moldova. The OSCE says the referendum was illegitimate and claimed that the Transnistrian government heavily influenced its results.

In April 2007, it was reported that Moldovan President Voronin may be considering a radical change in policy, to wit, recognition of Transnistria as a legitimate separate entity entitled to autonomy within Moldova following new parliamentary elections, Transnistrian participation in Moldova’s government, and eventual replacement of Russian peacekeepers with international monitors. Voronin was said to be planning to sign a declaration jointly with Transnistrian leader Igor Smirnov, committing him to the above proposals. If true, this would represent a major policy shift by Moldova in a pro-Russian direction, given consistent Russian support for the Transnistrian separatist regime.

return to headings

Foreign Policy

After its initial interest in unifying with Romania, Moldova has pursued a moderate foreign policy and has built positive relations with its neighbors. Though formal unification is now unlikely, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic affinity between Moldova and Romania have bolstered the two countries’ close political ties. Moldova signed an action plan with the EU in early 2005 that was designed to increase economic integration and deepen political cooperation, goals broadly supported by Moldova’s political parties. The EU appointed a special representative for Moldova in 2005, which stepped up its participation in Moldovan-Transnistrian negotiations. Romania’s January 2007 entry into the European Union is expected to strengthen economic ties between Chisinau and Bucharest as well, and has led to increased applications by Moldovans for Romanian citizenship.

Relations with Ukraine have been strained over the Transnistrian-Ukrainian border, which is widely considered a portal for illegal arms, drug and people smuggling. Moldova’s adoption in 2001 of a customs stamp regulation led to accusations that Chisinau was attempting an economic blockade between Tiraspol and Ukraine. Moldova remains heavily dependent on Ukrainian energy imports. A customs dispute with Ukraine in early 2006 – caused by Ukrainian insistence that goods imported from Transnistria show Moldovan customs stamps, following a December 2005 Ukrainian-Moldovan customs agreement - led to Transnistrian claims of economic blockade and resulted in a sharp drop in Transnistrian exports. Russia and foreign NGOs sent aid to Transnistria after PRM officials claimed a “humanitarian catastrophe.” The United States, EU and OSCE supported the Ukrainian customs policy, while Russia condemned it.

Moldova also remains heavily dependent on trade with Russia, despite friction over Russia’s support of Transnistria. Moldova’s election of a Communist government in late 2001 strengthened bilateral relations. A December 2001 law mandated Russian language education in all universities and schools, beginning in the second grade. The move prompted broad domestic protests and was harshly criticized by Romania. Although Moldova’s Ukrainian and Russian minorities are concentrated in Transnistria, Russian is widely spoken in Moldova’s cities.

Moldova has sought to participate in multilateral frameworks for regional cooperation. It is a founding member of GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova), a regional alliance that works to strengthen the independence of post-Soviet states. Moldova was the first New Independent State in the Council of Europe. It has membership in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), an eleven-member security organization of post-Soviet successor states. Moldova is a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and is a signatory to the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Moldova is also a member of the World Trade Organization and works closely with the IMF and the World Bank.

Progression towards joining the European Union is slow. In 1998, Moldova entered into a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, reinforced by the Moldova Action Plan in February 2005, which outlines specific steps necessary for Moldova to be integrated into the EU. The current government administration has put a greater emphasis on integration into the EU than previous Moldovan governments.

Moldova’s relations with Israel are good, though bilateral trade is limited (estimated at around $9 million in 2005). Moldova maintains an embassy in Tel-Aviv, and Israel has opened a consulate in Chisinau. Israel’s ambassador to Ukraine serves as non-resident ambassador to Moldova. Then-President Lucinschi made an official visit to Israel in 1999. In April 2003, Israeli Ambassador Anna Azari attended a ceremony in Chisinau, where President Voronin unveiled a memorial commemorating the Chisinau pogrom on the 100th anniversary of the massacre. In July 2003, Israeli President Moshe Katsav visited Chisinau and met with President Voronin. Israel and Moldova established an inter-governmental commission to focus on economic relations between the two states. The commission held its first meeting in November 2004 in Israel. Its second meeting was held at the end of 2006 in Moldova. One of Israel’s most famous former Moldovans is Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Israel Beiteinu party, who immigrated to Israel from the USSR in 1978. Lieberman reputedly is close to President Voronin, and is said to have met with him several times during private visits to Moldova.

return to headings

RELIGIOUS RELIGIOUS POLICY

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice; however, the 1992 Law on Religions, which codifies religious freedoms, contains restrictions that inhibit the activities of unregistered religious groups. Although the law was amended in 2002, many of the restrictions remain in place. Each person is guaranteed the right to profess his or her religious beliefs in his or her own way. It also protects the confidentiality of the confessional, allows denominations to establish associations and foundations, and states that the Government may not interfere in the religious activities of denominations.

return to headings

ECONOMIC SITUATION

Moldova remains one of Europe’s poorest countries, with the lowest GDP per capita and a small economic base. Never heavily industrialized, Moldova’s economy is based on agriculture and food processing. It was seriously affected by the Soviet breakup, the Transnistrian war, and Russia’s 1998 economic crisis. Moldova continues to work with the IMF and World Bank to promote agricultural growth and reduce poverty. After a decade of economic contraction, beginning in 2000 Moldova began to see yearly GDP growth of six percent or more due to economic reforms, increased agricultural production, and rising remittances from the many Moldovans working abroad. However, Moldova’s continuing near-total dependence on outside sources for industrial imports and energy is a major economic challenge, and the persistence of the separatist regime in Transnistria continues to slow economic growth.

Because Moldova’s climate is favorable to agriculture with plenty of available farmland, its main exports are agricultural (fruits, vegetables, wine, meat and tobacco). With few natural resources, Moldova must import all of its energy supplies. The Moldovan economy is extremely vulnerable due to changing fuel prices, the impact of poor weather on agriculture, and the skepticism of foreign investors. As Moldova’s largest trading partner, Russia wields considerable influence over the Moldovan economy. In March 2006, Russia embargoed Moldovan wines allegedly because of “poor wine quality.” Most observers believe the move reflected Russian displeasure with Moldova’s pro-Western policies and continued resistance to Russian mediation efforts in Transnistria. Moldova traditionally exported 80-90 percent of its wine to Russia, and the wine industry was estimated to account for as much as 25 percent of Moldovan GDP. The denial of that market had a strong negative effect on the Moldovan economy as well as on Moldova’s relations with Russia in 2006.

As of 2009, the trade embargo on Moldovan wine has been lifted, and Moldova announced plans to increase the annual export of wine in bulk to Russia up to 6-7 million decaliters. The move will be favored by a string of agreements recently reached by the Moldova-Vin Agricultural and Industrial Agency and the Russian Rospotrebnadzor trade and sanitation service.

About two-thirds of all Moldovans live below the poverty line. As many as 600,000 or even more Moldovan citizens – approximately one-third of the workforce – live and work abroad, transferring remittances to their families in Moldova. Estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars each year, these remittances are thought to have contributed significantly to Moldova’s recent economic growth.

Plagued by high poverty rates and an external debt of nearly $987 million, Moldova is part of the CIS-7 initiative, which was created in 2001 by international lending organizations to reform the financial structure of new loans. Since 1992, Moldova has received over $459 million in World Bank aid and over $200 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The World Bank approved a $30 million program in July 2002 to promote public sector, energy, infrastructure and anti-smuggling reforms. EBRD aid since Moldova’s independence totals $318 million, and has focused on fostering private enterprise, fiscal sector and infrastructure reforms.

The IMF suspended dealings with Moldova in February 2001, following the Communist sweep of the presidential and parliamentary elections. Progress on reforms resumed in 2002, prompting the resumption of IMF assistance on a three-year, $147 million debt reduction and poverty assistance loan.

Despite economic hardships, Moldova has adopted the basic reforms necessary for a market economy; foreign trade has been almost fully liberalized and the Moldovan leu is fully convertible for account transactions and customs revenue increased by 40 percent in 2003. Export quotas have been eliminated and import tariffs have been substantially reduced.

As a result, in June 2001, Moldova joined the multilateral Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, which has given $5.4 billion in aid to that region. In July 2001, Moldova acceded to the World Trade Organization.

Moldova is important to US interests in the region. A democratic Moldova with a growing economy and improved social services would enhance trade ties with Romania, which joined the EU on January 1, 2007. USAID continues to focus on small and medium enterprises and agri-business development, local government reform, citizen participation and rights protection, infectious diseases, and anti-trafficking projects.

Approximately 1 million of Moldova’s 4 million citizens have left to go seek employment abroad in order to send aid back to their families.

return to headings

JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE & ANTI-SEMITISM

History

Beginning in the 15th century, Sephardic Jewish merchants established trade routes through modern-day Moldova between the Black and Baltic Seas. Jews settled in the region, especially in northern and central Bessarabia, as Moldova was then known. In 1812, when the Russian Empire annexed Bessarabia from the Ottoman Turks, an estimated 2,000 Jews lived in the area. The Jewish population continued to grow even as ethnic tensions mounted. During the Russian Empire, Tsarist authorities either encouraged or allowed the local population to attack the Jews, resulting in two infamous massacres of Moldovan Jews in 1903 and 1905. Spurred by a blood libel that had been printed in a national newspaper, on April 6 - 7, 1903, 49 Jews were killed, 500 were wounded and hundreds of Jewish homes and businesses were severely damaged in the attacks. These attacks became known as the Kishinev Pogrom. News of the event reverberated throughout Europe and North America, and thousands of Jews emigrated from the Russian Empire. The United States reacted with public condemnations and trade restrictions against Tsarist Russia. Massacres during the 1905 Russian Revolution resulted in the death of hundreds more Jews in towns across Moldova, culminating in the second Kishinev Pogrom of October 1905, during which local Jews formed self-defense units to protect their communities.

By 1920, the Jewish population in Moldova numbered about 267,000. After the German-led invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, nearly 100,000 Jews died in mass shootings, deportations, ghettos and camps on Bessarabian and Ukrainian territory. A Holocaust memorial is prominently located near the national government offices in Chisinau.

While many Moldovans are believed to have collaborated with their German and Romanian occupiers, Israel has recognized 53 Moldovans as “Righteous Among the Nations” for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

return to headings

Community Development

Today, approximately 25,000-30,000 Jews live in Moldova. Twenty thousand Jews live in Chisinau, 2,500-3,000 in and around the city of Beltsy, and over 2,000 in Tiraspol (the capital of Transnistria). Substantial communities also exist in Bender, Soroky, Rybnitsa and Orgei, with smaller communities in at least 45 villages across Moldova.

The Jewish population of Moldova has decreased substantially since independence due to its high percentage of elderly Jews (an estimated one-quarter to one-half of the community) and high levels of emigration. Almost 50,000 thousand Jews from Moldova made aliyah between 1989 and 2001. Thousands of Transnistria’s estimated 12,000 Jews were helped to leave Moldova after the outbreak of hostilities in 1991, with most making aliyah.

The Moldovan Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities is the primary umbrella for the Jewish community. It runs programs such as the Moldova-Israel Friendship Association, the Moldova-Israel Foreign Trade Association, the Jewish Museum and the monthly Nash Golos (“Our Voice”) Jewish newspaper.

In 2003, the Jewish community of Chisinau had a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chisinau (Kishinev) Pogrom of 1903. The commemoration featured both cultural and educational programming as well as the unveiling of a commemorative monument, and served as a time of remembrance and of renewal for the entire Jewish community.

Chabad Lubavitch maintains synagogues in Chisinau and Tiraspol and is active throughout Moldova. Chabad Rabbi Zalman Abelsky is Chief Rabbi of Moldova and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Moldova. The movement operates the 250-student Jewish School #15, a rabbinical school, and two pre-schools. In addition, Chabad has several welfare and supplementary education programs and publishes a monthly newspaper.

Agudath Israel, under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Budilovsky, operates the 200-student yeshiva high school. Jewish schools are funded in part by the Moldovan government and the Israeli Cultural Center. Eight Jewish Sunday schools operate throughout Moldova. Israel’s Open University is based in the capital, while Chisinau State University and the Academy of Sciences each have Judaica departments. Jewish programs are included in Moldovan university curricula, though a shortage of teachers and funding threatens these programs.

The Israeli Embassy’s Israeli Cultural Center operates in Chisinau, and the Israeli Government and Moldovan Education Ministry jointly run a school to prepare children for aliyah. JAFI also has a presence and runs Nesharim summer camps and winter seminars on Jewish history and tradition.

International organizations have provided significant aid to Moldovan Jewry. In addition to funding renovation of the Community Center, JDC has distributed medicine, clothing and educational materials to the community, and funds the Hesed Chana welfare center in Tiraspol. In 2003, JDC launched a major program to feed low-income children as well as created a Jewish Campus in Chisinau, which houses the JCC, a synagogue, and a Holocaust museum.

return to headings

Anti-Semitism

Moldova has a history of virulent anti-Semitism, including Tsarist-era pogroms and widespread local collaboration in the Holocaust. While today no policy of anti-Semitism exists at the state level and President Voronin has condemned anti-Semitism in various speeches, popular anti-Semitism is still prevalent. In 2002, two Moldovan teenagers desecrated a Jewish cemetery in Chisinau and skinheads firebombed a Tiraspol synagogue twice: both groups were later arrested by the police. In 2003, a local radio station suspended a call-in show that had become known for expression of anti-Semitic views. In March 2004, more than 70 tombstones were desecrated in the Jewish cemetery in Tiraspol. In April, May, and November of 2005, Jewish cemeteries in Chisinau and Soroki were vandalized. Anti-Semitism is also fostered from abroad, especially by Romanian revisionists. A June 2005 article in a Chisinau newspaper by a Romanian writer asserted that Moldovan Jews were themselves to blame for the massacres during the German occupation due to their alleged pro-Soviet sympathies and alleged “terrorist” acts against Romanian troops stationed in Moldova at the time. Also in 2005, Romanian revisionist historian Ion Kozha addressed the Association of Moldovan Historians and denied the facts of the Holocaust on Romanian and Moldovan territory during the war.

On December 13, 2009, approximately 200 fundamentalists Orthodox Christians chanted anti-Semitic slogans, led by a priest, and took down a public menorah. Neither police nor onlookers intervened as the large metal menorah was torn down and placed upside down at the base of a statue of King Stephen the Great. The orthodox priest who led the attack was eventually charged with a misdemeanor and fined a small amount.

In January 2007, protesters, including Jewish activists, forced the relocation of a construction project from the site of an old Jewish cemetery in Chisinau that had exposed human bones. In March 2007, five youths were detained in connection with the vandalism of a Jewish cemetery in Chisinau. The cemetery, with only one municipal guard to protect it, has suffered repeated vandalism in the past.

Moldovan authorities have supported Holocaust education in local schools, and officially promote improved inter-ethnic relations. In November 2005, the Moldovan Education Ministry participated in a “Lessons of the Holocaust” seminar in Chisinau, together with Jewish groups from Moldova and the CIS, during which Moldovan teachers discussed teaching European Jewish history.

In the March 2004 Tiraspol cemetery incident, swastikas and other Nazi symbols were painted on monuments, and many tombstones were damaged beyond repair. In May 2004 unknown persons attempted to set the Tiraspol synagogue on fire by throwing a Molotov cocktail onto the premises near a local gas supply. The attack failed when passers-by extinguished the fire. There has been no progress in the investigation of these anti-Semitic acts. Transnistrian authorities believe that the same individuals perpetrated the attacks.

Local groups such as the Youth Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly have made efforts to protest such anti-Semitic incidents. In June 2003, a municipal radio station decided to suspend a controversial call-in show in which callers had expressed anti-Semitic views.

Prospects for restitution of communal property remain uncertain. Moldova has no general statute on restitution, and the Jewish community has achieved restitution of only two of the many communal properties seized during the Soviet period. In conjunction with the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, the Moldovan and U.S. governments have signed a Declaration of Cooperation to establish frameworks for the protection and preservation of cultural sites.

In September 2008, Antisemitic graffiti was painted on the Holocaust Memorial in Bendery . In the graffiti was written: "The Holocaust - is a myth", "Death to Judeo", "Why do the Jews more rights than the Russians", as well as the Nazi swastika.

return to headings

U.S. POLICY

The U.S. Embassy in Chisinau opened in 1992, and relations are generally considered good. The United States, one of the largest donors to Moldova, provided over $30 million in aid in FY2004. However, aid has been falling steadily over the past few years: in 2005, $21.7 million in aid was given to Moldova. U.S. assistance programs are active in a number of areas, including privatization, legal reform, democracy, and health-care. In November 2006, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation approved a $24.7 million country plan for Moldova, targeting corruption. USAID programs to Moldova in FY2006 totaled $17 million.

After President Voronin visited President Bush in December 2002, the two issued a joint statement supporting peace in Transnistria and a peaceful withdrawal of Russian troops from the region. The United States has participated in negotiations with Moldova, the OSCE and Russia over the fate of Transnistria. The United States has lent its support in talks on the OSCE-sponsored federalization proposal of February 2003. Broadly backed by the European Union and the United States, Ukraine launched a comprehensive peace proposal in July 2005 calling for free elections in Transnistria and a negotiated settlement with Moldova under international supervision. Thus far, no peace proposal has been accepted.

The United States has identified Moldova as the largest source of persons trafficked for the sex trade. To augment its anti-trafficking information campaign, in 2001 the U.S. State Department established Chisinau’s

Center for Prevention of Trafficking in Women. A branch office was opened in Uenghi in July 2002. In 2004, the government more than doubled the number of trafficking convictions handed down with prison sentences.

The United States is also in the process of investigating Moldova’s role as a lead supplier of illegal-organ harvesting. In one village, it was found that 14 of 40 men had sold a body part to help support his family. In response, the United States temporarily cut off adoptions from Moldova.

In June 2003, Moldova’s cabinet approved the participation of a military contingent in post-conflict humanitarian operations in Iraq. By February 2005, Moldova’s 12-soldier contingent had returned to Moldova from their tour in Iraq.

In January 2010, Prime Minister Vladimir Filat visited Washington, D.C.

return to headings

return to top