Monument to the Victims of Jewish Ghetto, Chisinau

The Monument to the Victims of Jewish Ghetto serves as a symbol of remembrance for the thousands of Jews who suffered and perished during the Holocaust. Inaugurated on April 22, 1993, it was designed by the architect Simeon Shoihet and the sculptor Naum Epelbaum. The monument stands on Ierusalim Street, marking the site of the main entrance to the Chisinau ghetto, which was established in the lower part of the city in July 1941, shortly after the German and Romanian troops occupied the area.

The Chisinau ghetto, as it became known, imprisoned over 11,000 Jews, including men, women, and children. The monument is a tribute to the victims who were held there, and many of whom were subsequently murdered. According to the 1942 census, only 100 Jews remained in Chisinau, and 99 of them were in the ghetto. Tragically, only six Jews survived until the Soviet army liberated Chisinau in the summer of 1944.

The centerpiece of the monument is a bronze statue of Prophet Moses, with his left hand on his heart and his right hand holding Scripture, symbolizing the suffering of the prisoners. The statue is set on a pink granite pedestal and stands against a broken red granite wall. In the center of the wall is a void in the shape of a shattered Magen David (Star of David). The inscription on the back of the monument is written in three languages: Hebrew, Romanian, and Russian, and reads, "Martyr and victim of the Chisinau ghetto! We, the living, remember you!"

The Monument to the Victims of Jewish Ghetto is a solemn reminder of the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust and the lives lost as a result. Memorial ceremonies are held here on Yom ha-Shoah, Jewish Memorial Day for Holocaust victims, and other occasions, to honor and remember those who suffered and perished in the Chisinau ghetto.