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Over the last four years, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania (FCER) has focused on combatting anti-Semitism and stopping attempts to rehabilitate war criminals, increasingly present in the public space, according to FCER Chairman Silviu Vexler.
"Unfortunately, in the time since the last congress convention, we have operated in an increasingly hostile environment. Although Romania has been spared much of what is happening internationally, through a combination of institutional measures, opening up the Federation and the Jewish communities, that does not mean that the rise of anti-Semitism could not be noticed or felt, it does not mean that the rise of far-right political forces and, in our case, to a lesser extent of the extreme left, It didn't feel like it. (...) To an increasing extent, the public activity of the federation and the executive management in the last four years has been focused precisely on combating anti-Semitism, in a surprising way on combating Holocaust denialism, on stopping attempts to rehabilitate war criminals, increasingly present in the public space, "Vexler told the 5th FCER - CM congress convention held at House of Parliament.
For that reason, he added, ensuring all necessary measures to implement the teaching of Jewish history and the Holocaust in all schools in Romania was so important, not only as a symbolic gesture, but because education is fundamental in trying to prevent all these negative aspects.
"We have also seen that the complicated economic situation internationally, even the public situation, the wars nearby, have created a hostility to the concept of minority, whether it was an ethnic and religious minority - as is our case - or in other situations. We sought in these four years to open our doors as much as possible to all those who wanted to go through them, so that all those who wanted to see what Jewish life looked like could do it. (...) Also, more than ever, we needed essential and sustained work to protect the image of the State of Israel. The wars in the region, the attacks by terrorist organisations and the whole painful situation that exists there, but especially the way it has been presented in the public space, the pressures that have been made externally, whether it was Iran, whether it is Russia, have required a response. And I think we can be proud of the role we have played here, both at the level of the federation and of all local Jewish and local communities in this regard. At international level, Romania's gestures of support had not only an extremely important role, but each time we were the first. It's not a competition, no praise, but in such moments, you really see your friends."
The FCER management has also made special efforts to establish and expand the federation's external and international ties, including to raise funds and, at the same time, it has continued to work to establish partnerships with all cities where there are Jewish communities in Romania.
Vexler added that intense work is underway to digitise the historical archives of the federation, noting that it possesses an almost complete collection of all Jewish newspapers published in Romania - a unique collection that has not survived anywhere else.
