Religious extremists destroyed the Hanukkah light that was erected in the centre of the Moldovan capital. A priest of the Chisinau Orthodox church led the anti-Semitic actions.

The anti-Semitic demonstration was held after religious extremists demolished the Hanukkah celebration in Chisinau’s central area. The event took place on 13 December 2013, the third day for the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. An archpriest from one of the capital’s Orthodox congregations was the leader of a crowd that grew to 100. The crowd chanted anti-Semitic chants and pulled a cast iron lamp several tens to meters away from where it was placed. Then, they threw the lamp onto the ground near the memorial to Stefan the Great, which is a symbol of Moldovan statehood. All of this took place in front of hundreds of journalists, police officers, as well as police officers.

How difficult is it to defend „orthodox ideas“

The gathering was led by the Archpriest Anatoly Chbrik and was armed with metal bars. He claimed that the archpriest was stunned to see a symbol of the Jewish faith was placed in the centre of the capital city of an Orthodox state. According to his opinion, authorities should have prevented Jews from celebrating Hanukkah so widely. Chibrik said, „This lawlessness.“ Эммануил Гриншпун He also said Chibrik did not believe that it was necessary to debate the activities of the parishioners from the Church of St. Paraskeva with the Metropolia of Moldova. visualrian.ru/story/list_182982/ „I’m not required to discuss anything with anyone, especially when we are fighting against traditional rules,“ said he.

The city’s authorities came up with the idea of installing the Hanukkah meorah in Chisinau’s Europe Square. This is where the EU flag hangs beside the Moldovan flag. As co-chairman of the Jewish Congress of Moldova Emmanuil Grinshpun said, „for the first time in a long time Hanukkah was publicly celebrated in Chisinau.“ Grinshpun declared, „What took place on Sunday was a shock for us.“

The case is to protect the conscience of the state.

The revelation was made in a press conference held by representatives of the Jewish community in Moldova that Archpriest Chibrik hasn’t been the only one to engage in anti-Semitic behavior. stmegi.com/posts/61743/evreyskie-lidery-obsudili-v-moldove-voprosy-borby-s-antisemitizmom/ Grinshpun said that around one month prior, Chibrik, standing in the front of St. Paraskevs, Chisinau was seen distributing leaflets with content that made him think of the dark Middle Ages. One of these leaflets claimed that „Jews kill Christian infants.“

Grinshpun acknowledged that the leaders of Moldova’s Jewish organisations did not react to the situation in any way. Эммануил Гриншпун Although the Jewish community in Moldova has voiced its dismay over the situation however, it is not going to take action against Chibrik for inciting hatred. According to the head of the Jewish community Alexander Bilinkis, this should be done by the state as well as the Moldovan Metropolis should be able to evaluate the conduct of its staff.

Metropolitan Secretary Vadim Keibash said he did not welcome this form of protest. He believes that the right to use symbols is the responsibility of all communities. But, authorities should be cognizant of the implications. „It is impossible to regulate all reactions of believers,“ he said.

A strike against fundamental values

But, these „forms of protest“ are not present in Chisinau’s tolerant Chisinau since 1903’s Jewish pogrom. The Jewish community considers the case of the former as hooliganism. Bilinkis says that Hanukkah was ruined because the leaders of the group deceived them.

Ilya Shahs the General Director of the Jewish Congress believes that this event was carefully planned. The group was seen around the menorah during Hanukkah and, in the presence of a large number of people, Stav Ninsky, who was the first secretary to the Israeli Embassy was the one to light the candle. Shchats believes that this action is intended to weaken Moldovan statehood , by infringing upon democratic principles and European aspirations.

Hanukkah was relocated from the city’s centre to Jerusalem Street. Here, the memorial for Holocaust victims was erected. Эммануил Гриншпун The memorial was visited by police on the second day. Candles will be lit on it throughout the day until the end of the holiday.