This virtual resource documents deportation routes and sites of mass murder of the Jewish population in northern Moldova and on the left bank of the Dniester River during World War II.
The project “Along the Roads of Death in Bessarabia” was made possible thanks to the initiative of the leading Jewish community AGUDAT ISRAEL in Moldova. The team of authors, led by Michael Finkel and Dr. Natalia Alhazov, has managed to turn historical research into a modern digital tool accessible to all.
The map covers more than twenty localities, from the village of Hincăuti in Edinet district in the north to Bender in the south. It is available in four languages – Romanian, English, Hebrew and Russian. For the convenience of users, the map is accompanied by voice-over using artificial intelligence technologies.
For example, here users will learn that according to the 1930 census, Jews made up 60% of the population of Balti – more than 14 thousand inhabitants. On July 8, 1941, Romanian-German troops entered the city. Under their military leadership, persecution of the Jewish population began, carried out with the participation of the Romanian civil administration. A Jewish ghetto was created, and on July 16-17, 1941, the inhabitants of Balti were deported and concentrated in three places of confinement: the ghetto in Balti, the ghetto in Falesti and the ghetto in the village of Novye Limbeni (present-day Glodeni district). Many of them became victims of mass killings and deportations.
In the near future, the map will be introduced into Chisinau’s school education so that students can study the tragic pages of history and shape the future on the basis of mutual respect.
According to the Agency for Interethnic Relations of the Republic of Moldova, the project is implemented in partnership with leading international organizations, including the Elie Wiesel Institute, the Yad Vashem Memorial Complex and the European Association for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage (AEPJ). Its main goal is to preserve historical truth, counter intolerance and bring the lessons of the past to new generations.
On January 27, Moldova will commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
