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All Moldova Chisinau Chisinau Jewish Cemetery

Chisinau Jewish Cemetery

There is a mouldering Jewish cemetery hidden away in the capital of Moldova.

Chisinau, Moldova

Added By
Henrik Johansson
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Abandoned graves.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned graves.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned graves.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned graves.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Abandoned graves.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Some graves are still taken care of at the cemetery.   hrnick / Atlas Obscura User
Crumbling synagogue   thomasvanderkruis / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the synagogue   thomasvanderkruis / Atlas Obscura User
Jewish cemetery “panorama”   thomasvanderkruis / Atlas Obscura User
Monument   thomasvanderkruis / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the outskirts of Moldova's capital Chisinau, is a massive Jewish cemetery that lies in ruins.

A little known fact, even for Moldovans living in Chisinau, is that a large Jewish cemetery can be found in the city. In the end of the 19th century there was a large Jewish community of about in Chisinau, accounting for nearly half of the Jewish population of Bessarabia. It was one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the region. But that would all change. Tensions grew in the city and led to a small pogrom in 1903 that resulted in the tragic deaths of over 40 Jewish citizens.

The 1930s marked the peak of Jewish life in Moldova. They had been granted citizenship in 1918 when Romania took control over Bessarabia and there were numerous Jewish schools and hospitals in the city. Unfortunately after 1941, around 147,000 Jewish Moldovans were deported to concentration camps, with a staggering 90,000 perishing. 

By the end of the 19th century there were around 25,000 graves at the cemetery but it all fell into despair after WWII, with many of the structures being destroyed by bombing. Today much of it is covered by thick vegetation and a number of the graves don't seem to have been visited for decades.

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Cemeteries Graveyards

Community Contributors

Added By

hrnick

Edited By

reyhan, Johan SWE, thomasvanderkruis

  • reyhan
  • Johan SWE
  • thomasvanderkruis

Published

May 29, 2015

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Sources
  • http://www.jta.org/2015/02/13/news-opinion/world/chisinau-to-restore-jewish-cemetery-destroyed-in-world-war-ii
  • http://foxnomad.com/2012/07/20/the-abandoned-synagogue-inside-europes-largest-jewish-cemetery-in-chisinau-moldova/
  • http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/moldova.html
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Moldova
  • http://ww2db.com/country/Moldova
Chisinau Jewish Cemetery
Strada Milano 1
Chisinau, 2069
Moldova
47.036676, 28.798184
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Moldova's Little Prince Statue

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Lenin Monument

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chisinau

Chisinau

Moldova

Places 5

Nearby Places

Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Moldova's Little Prince Statue

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Lenin Monument

Chisinau, Moldova

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chisinau

Chisinau

Moldova

Places 5

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