The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), Australia’s leading organisation fighting hatred in all its forms, has applauded the Moldovan Parliament for adopting a 2004 Report by The International Commission on the Holocaust, chaired by the late Elie Wiesel, which condemned the systematic persecution and extermination of Jews by the Nazi and their assistants on the present territory of Moldova in 1937-44. The declaration also denounced any attempts of ignoring or denying the Holocaust. According to the report’s data, in 1941, between 45,000 and 60,000 Jews were killed in Bessarabia and North Bukovina, and about 105,000 – 120,000 Jews died in the wake of expulsions to the Transnistrian region.
Dr. Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“This recognition and commemoration is long overdue and encases within its midst significant practical and symbolic resonances. We applaud the Moldovan Parliament for honouring the victims of the Holocaust and know that this act carries great importance not only for the survivors and their families, but also for world Jewry. At a time of rising global anti-Semitism, it’s critical that all governments voice their opposition to intolerance and bigotry, and condemn any form of Holocaust denial. We hope that this declaration marks a new era of education in Moldovan schools and universities in which the Holocaust and its universal lessons are taught.
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and all forms of hatred.
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on (03) 9272 5677