Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Sa'ar, participated today in a solemn ceremony commemorating the establishment of the Chișinău Ghetto, which took place on July 24th, 1941. The event was held alongside Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mihai Popșoi, and attended by members of the local Jewish community.
Addressing the gathering, Minister Sa'ar expressed gratitude for Moldova's friendship and partnership, noting the warm ties between the two countries. "Mihai, you are a true personal friend in a friendly country," Sa'ar told his Moldovan counterpart, highlighting Popșoi's recent participation in the Conference Against Antisemitism in Jerusalem.
Sa'ar recalled his February visit to Chișinău to inaugurate Israel's new embassy and praised the growing bilateral relations. He announced progress on several cooperative agreements, including those in the fields of tourism and agriculture.
Turning to the historical significance of the day, Sa'ar described the creation of the Chișinău Ghetto as the beginning of one of the darkest chapters in Jewish history. "Thousands of Jews were forced into the ghetto," he said, describing the inhumane conditions and mass deportations to Transnistria, where many perished.
The ceremony included a moment of remembrance for Lea Schwartzman, a Chișinău-born Holocaust victim murdered in Transnistria in 1942. Sa'ar stressed the importance of remembering the victims and understanding the devastating consequences of Jewish vulnerability during the Holocaust. "We are an ancient nation. We should have been one of the largest nations on earth today," he remarked.
Emphasizing the modern-day threats faced by the Jewish people, Sa'ar warned of efforts by the Iranian regime and its proxies to eliminate Israel. He cited Operation 'Rising Lion' as a demonstration of Israel's resolve to prevent such threats.
"We remember - and we act. This is our moral obligation. To our children and grandchildren. But also - to the victims of the Holocaust," he declared.
The Foreign Minister also recalled the historic antisemitic pogroms in Chișinău in the early 20th century and thanked Moldova for its contemporary efforts to combat antisemitism. He concluded with a call to uphold the memory of the Holocaust and ensure that "Never Again" remains a living pledge.
"We will safeguard always the right of the Jewish people to defend themselves, to defend our nation, by ourselves," he affirmed, dedicating his words to the memory of his grandfather's sisters, Rivkah and Reizel, who were murdered in the Holocaust.
"May this be in the blessed memory of Rivkah and Reizel... that lost their lives because they had nobody to protect them."