Welcome to the virtual tour of Jewish Moldova and its capital – Kishinev.
Today Moldova is still a home to some 15.000 – 20.000 Jews.
In the Jewish history this land is known as Bessarabia. There are some evidences of Jewish presence on this land as early as in the Roman times.
But the most significant period of Moldovan Jewish community, which contributed to the European and world Jewish history, was the 19th and 20th centuries, when Jewish life flourished in many towns of Bessarabia.
Bessarabia is known for the famous rabbis, Jewish artisans and poets, musical culture in Bessarabian Yiddish.
Along the tour we will visit some of the typical Jewish towns of Bessarabia to recreate an image of Jewish life there.
We will also walk along the streets of Kishinev. Once a city with at least 50.000 Jews (nearly half of the city's population), Kishinev is mainly known in the Jewish history for its most terrible and devastating Jewish pogrom of 1903. A pogrom which played unique role in the Jewish history and culture.
Along the tour we will speak about the Jews of Kishinev, the self-defense Jewish squads, Kishinev Synagogues, Jewish political and intellectual leaders, everyday Jewish life.
There are still many former synagogues and ancient cemeteries, that remind us of once rich Jewish life in the Republic of Moldova.
We will travel through Moldova to look at the past and present and also discuss the future of Kishinev Jewish community.