"It is now more than 60 years since the systematic murder of one third of the Jewish people as well as thousands of other victims, but the grotesque nature and scale of the Holocaust is in no way diminished by the passing of time.” is written in the Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust 27 January 2010.

Memorial event dedicated to the tragedy of Holocaust is being conducted at the KJJC annually. This year the program “Holocaust. Memory. Awareness. Overcoming” attracted over 300 people representing local authorities, diplomatic missions, international NGOs, Jewish organizations, Kishinev schools and Universities students.

Before the start of the official ceremony people could get acquainted with exhibitions of the art works by Rav Reuven Shlenker (USA), photos of Jewish kids killed in the horrible fire of the Shoah and books from the Jewish Library.

Solemn and sensitive music of Sviridov, Albinoni, Piazzolla  interpreted by National Philharmonic choir, accordion band “Brio”, and Jewish melodies played by JCC violists group and singers of Jewish chamber studio were gently incorporated in the wide list of orators that expressed the will to speak.

Among them were high representatives of the Parliament and Government of Republic of Moldova, diplomats from Russia, Israel and Germany, JDC representatives from Jerusalem and Moldova, UN representative, victims of the Holocaust. The speakers unanimously condemned the horror of the Holocaust, the shame for the butchers and necessity in education of the young generations in the spirit of tolerance, mutual esteem and keeping memory of the history.

“We have the facts and statistics confirming that around 300,000 of Jews were murdered on the territory of Moldova. I survived in one of the concentration camp in Bessarabia by miracle”, said Shaps Roif, Association of the Holocaust Survivors in Moldova.

The event was widely announced and covered in the local mass-media – TV channels, broadcast, news agencies and newspapers.

In the end we would like to repeat the words of the Statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights "As we honor both the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust, let us pay a special tribute to all those, in many parts of the world, who not only strive to ensure that future generations are educated about the horrors of the Shoah, but also work tirelessly to combat discrimination of all sorts.

As we look back at this dark page of history, and subsequent atrocities and crimes of genocide, let us also urge policy-makers to show greater commitment to advancing dialogue and respect among people of all cultures, religions and races."