Holocaust remembrance efforts in Romania

Holocaust survivors and community leaders in Romania are conducting commemorative and educational activities to honor victims and combat historical denialism.

In Bistrița, Natalia Țigăuan of the Bistrița Jewish Community Steering Committee shared personal family accounts with students, describing the forced relocation to an improvised ghetto in June 1944 and subsequent deportations to the Auschwitz extermination camp. Other survivors, such as Lida Burihovici-Havas, have provided testimonies regarding atrocities endured in the Transnistria ghettos and camps, including Domanovka, Bogdanovka, and Golta. Educational efforts expanded to include students from Andrei Mureșanu National College and Ștefan cel Mare Gymnasium.

On October 9, Romania marked National Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the 1941 start of deportations to Transnistria. During these deportations, over 35,000 people—primarily women, children, and the elderly—faced extermination through disease, starvation, and poor conditions. Official ceremonies were held at the Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest, organized by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania.

During the commemorations, Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu advocated for Holocaust education in schools and media to combat ignorance, stating the tragedy must be a ‘living lesson’ rather than just academic research. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan noted that deportations resulted from ‘normalized propaganda and antisemitism,’ urging citizens to confront prejudice. President Nicușor Dan emphasized the necessity of using history and memory to understand how atrocities occurred with the complicity of state authorities and indifferent citizens, noting that acknowledging this chapter is essential for respecting human dignity. Local activities continued in Bistrița to honor the nearly 7,000 Jews deported from the region to Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944.