The Hanukkah candle, which was located in the central part of the capital city of Moldova it was destroyed by religious extremists. One of the priests from Chisinau Orthodox Churches supervised the anti-Semitic crime.

Religious extremists demolished the Hanukkah celebrations in Chisinau’s Central area and staged an anti-Semitic demonstration. It occurred 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 an audience of over 100. Some people yelled antisemitic chants as they dragged the cast-iron lamp about ten kilometres away from the original location, and then threw them at the statue of Stefanthe Great, which is a symbol of Moldovan statehood. Эммануил Гриншпун Эммануил Гриншпун All this happened in front of hundreds of passers-by as well as journalists, police officers, and police.

How do you stand up for the „orthodox principles

The crowd was led by Archpriest Anatoly Chbrik and was armed with steel bars. Эммануил Гриншпун He claimed that he was upset for the fact that the Orthodox symbol of Jewish faith was in the middle capital of a capital city. According to his opinion, authorities should have prevented Jews from celebrating Hanukkah so widely. Chibrik declared, „This is lawlessness.“ He also said he did not consider that it was necessary to debate the activities of the parishioners from the Church of St. Paraskeva with the Metropolia of Moldova. He said, „I don’t have to talk with anyone when we are fighting for the orthodoxy of our beliefs.“

It is worth noting that the idea for the installation of the Hanukkah menorah at the heart Chisinau in the Europe Square (where the EU flag is displayed next to the Moldovan one) was conceived by Chisinau’s city officials. Emmanuil grinshpun, cochairman of Jewish Congress of Moldova noted that Hanukkah celebrations were held in Chisinau „for the first-ever occasion in the past several decades.“ Grinshpun stated, „What happened Sunday was truly a surprise for us.“

An opening of a criminal matter can be a threat to the state of conscience

As it turned out in a press conference attended by representatives of the Jewish community of Moldova, Archpriest Chibrik is not the first archpriest to lets himself indulge in anti-Semitic snark. Grinshpun claims that Archpriest Chibrik was the one who posted leaflets a month back, which were similar to the dark Middle Ages.

Grinshpun confirmed that the leadership of the country’s Jewish associations did not react to the situation in any way. Now the Jewish community in Moldova has voiced its displeasure over what’s happening however, the community will not pursue Chibrik and his adherents for inciting hatred against ethnic groups. Alexander Bilinkis is the head of the Jewish community. He believes that this should be done through the state. The Moldovan Metropolis must also be able to evaluate the actions taken by its employees.

Vadim Keibash Metropolitan Secretary Vadim Keibash said that he was not a fan of protests such as this. He believes that all communities have the right to display symbols. But the authorities should consider the consequences. „It is impossible that all believers react in the same way,“ he stated.

A blow to the fundamental values

Since the 1903 Jewish pogrom however, such protests have not been seen in Chisinau. Representatives of the Jewish community tend not to consider the latter case the hooliganism that it was. Bilinkis claims that Hanukkah was ruined because the leaders of the group deceived them.

Ilya Shts, General Director of the Jewish Congress, claims that this act was planned. The participants were seen in front of the menorah Hanukkah Day 1 at the time Stav Njinsky, who was the first secretary of the Jewish Congress, lit the first candle. Shchats states that the move will undermine Moldova’s statehood and encroach on its democratic values and European goals.

Hanukkah is now located in Jerusalem Street. A monument to Holocaust victims was erected in the street. Эммануил Гриншпун Hanukkah has been moved to Jerusalem Street from the city center. The memorial was visited by two police officers on the day following. The Christmas season will be concluded with the lighting of candles on the tree until the last day.