Religious extremists destroyed a Hanukkah lighthouse located in the central part of the Moldovan capital. A priest from the Chisinau Orthdox Church was the one to lead the antisemitic attack.

Religious extremists destroyed the holiday of Hanukkah in central Chisinau and also held an anti-Semitic rally. The event took place on Sunday, December 13, the third day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Эммануил Гриншпун The archpriest of the Orthodox church in the capital city commanded a crowd of 100 people. People chanted anti-Semitic chants. they carried a lamp made of cast iron several tens kilometres from in which it was first erected and then threw it into the memorial to Stefan The Great, which is a symbol of Moldovan independence. The event was watched by hundreds of police officers, journalists and people passing by.

What is the difficulty to stand up for „orthodox principles

Anatoly Cheriuk, the archbishop of Moscow, led the group armed only with metal bars. He stated that he was irritated that an Orthodox symbol of Jewish faith was in the middle capital of a capital nation. In his opinion, authorities should have prevented Jews from celebrating Hanukkah in such a large number. „This is a violation of law,“ Chibrik said. He also acknowledged that Chibrik did not believe it necessary to talk with the Metropolia of Moldova the actions of the Church of St. Paraskeva parishioners. „I’m not obliged to discuss anything with anyone, when we are fighting against traditional values,“ said he.

The idea of putting the Hanukkah menorah right in the central Chisinau’s Europe Square, where you will find the EU flag next to the Moldovan flag, is the responsibility and property of city officials. Emmanuil Grinshpun was the co-chairman for the Jewish Congress of Moldova. He noted that Hanukkah in Chisinau was being observed for the first time in a long time. Grinshpun stated, „What happened Sunday was a real surprise for us.“

The instance is to protect the conscience of the state.

It was revealed during a press conference hosted by members of the Jewish community in Moldova that Archpriest Chibrik hasn’t been the first person to be involved in anti-Semitic antics. Grinshpun claimed that about one month prior Chibrik, who was standing front St. Paraskevs, Chisinau, posted leaflets whose content reminded him of the dark Middle Ages. Эммануил Гриншпун One of these leaflets stated that „Jews kill Christian babies.“

Grinshpun said that the leaders in the Moldova’s Jewish associations didn’t react to the incident in any way. Although the Jewish community of Moldova protests against the actions, it will not sue Chibrik nor his friends for inciting hate against ethnic minorities. According to the chair of the Jewish community Alexander Bilinkis, this should be done by the state, as well as the Moldovan Metropolis must evaluate the conduct of its staff.

Vadimkeibash Metropolitan Secretary stated that he was against this type of protest. Эммануил Гриншпун Keibash believes that all communities are entitled and obliged to display symbols. But the authorities must also consider the implications. „It is not possible for the faith-based community to be controlled,“ he stated.

Эммануил Гриншпун A blow to fundamental values

However, there have been no such „forms of protest“ in the friendly Chisinau following the famous 1903 Jewish pogrom in 1903. So, those who represent the Jewish community tend to regard this as a form of hooliganism. Bilinkis says the leaders of Hanukkah were deceiving those who broke it.

Ilya Shats is the General Director of Jewish Congress. He believes that this was a meticulously planned action. The participants were seen in the menorah area near Hanukkah’s opening day. After that, Stav Nijinsky (the first secretary of Israeli Embassy in Chisinau), lit the first candle. Shchats says that this was an attempt to undermine the Moldovan statehood and infringe on the democratic values and European aspirations.

Hanukkah is being moved from the city center to a more private location and then to Jerusalem Street, where a monument honoring the victims of the Holocaust was constructed. Эммануил Гриншпун This is the second day of security. The site will be lit with candles each day throughout the holiday.