National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust
Encyclopedia
The National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust (Ziua Naţională de Comemorare a Holocaustului in Romanian
, is a national event held on October 9 in Romania
. It is dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and particularly to reflecting on Romania's role in the Holocaust. Various commemoration events and ceremonies take place throughout Romania in order to remember the Jews
and Roma who died in the Holocaust.
The first National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust was held in 2004. October 9 was chosen as a date for this event because it marks the beginning of Romanian deportations of Jews
to Transnistria
, in 1942.
On October 9, 2005, the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
, participated in the laying of a wreath at the Holocaust Memorial in Iaşi
.
The Centre for Hebrew Studies, part of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
, was also inaugurated on the same day by Ungureanu. During the inaugural National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust, the Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania
was also opened.
On October 9, 2006, a ceremony took place for setting the keystone of the National Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest
. The ceremony was attended by President Traian Băsescu
, Foreign Minister Affairs Minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
, Culture Minister Adrian Iorgulescu, as well as representatives of the Romanian and international Jewish community. A commemoration march also took place through Bucharest in order to remember the Roma victims of the Holocaust and to demand greater recognition by the government of Roma Holocaust victims.
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
, is a national event held on October 9 in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It is dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust and particularly to reflecting on Romania's role in the Holocaust. Various commemoration events and ceremonies take place throughout Romania in order to remember the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Roma who died in the Holocaust.
The first National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust was held in 2004. October 9 was chosen as a date for this event because it marks the beginning of Romanian deportations of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
to Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
, in 1942.
On October 9, 2005, the Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. He was the foreign minister of Romania from December 28, 2004 to March 12, 2007...
, participated in the laying of a wreath at the Holocaust Memorial in Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
.
The Centre for Hebrew Studies, part of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is a public university located in Iaşi, Romania. The University of Iaşi, as it was named at first, is the oldest higher education institution in Romania, founded one year after the establishment of the Romanian state, by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan...
, was also inaugurated on the same day by Ungureanu. During the inaugural National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust, the Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania
Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania
The Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania is a public institution established by the Romanian government on August 7, 2005, and officially opened on October 9 of the same year, which is Romania's National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust.The institute is named...
was also opened.
On October 9, 2006, a ceremony took place for setting the keystone of the National Holocaust Memorial in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
. The ceremony was attended by President Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
, Foreign Minister Affairs Minister Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu
Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu is a Romanian historian, diplomat and politician. He was the foreign minister of Romania from December 28, 2004 to March 12, 2007...
, Culture Minister Adrian Iorgulescu, as well as representatives of the Romanian and international Jewish community. A commemoration march also took place through Bucharest in order to remember the Roma victims of the Holocaust and to demand greater recognition by the government of Roma Holocaust victims.
See also
- History of the Jews in RomaniaHistory of the Jews in RomaniaThe history of Jews in Romania concerns the Jews of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is nowadays Romanian territory....
- National Holocaust Memorial (Romania)
- Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in RomaniaElie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in RomaniaThe Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania is a public institution established by the Romanian government on August 7, 2005, and officially opened on October 9 of the same year, which is Romania's National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust.The institute is named...
- Wiesel CommissionWiesel CommissionThe Wiesel Commission is the common name given to the International Commission on the Holocaust in Romania, which was established by former President Ion Iliescu in October 2003 to research and create a report on the actual history of the Holocaust in Romania and make specific recommendations for...
- International Holocaust Remembrance DayInternational Holocaust Remembrance DayInternational Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, is an international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust, the genocide that resulted in the annihilation of 6 million European Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime.. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly...
- Yom HaShoahYom HaShoahYom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah , known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the...