Pogrom Commemoration/Saranga: We cannot ignore history between us; we must accept it, learn its lessons

The Ambassador of the State of Israel in Bucharest, David Saranga, on Wednesday stated, in the context of the commemoration of the victims of the Iasi Pogrom, of June 1941, that Romania must accept "honestly the history" that binds the two countries, and learn from its lessons.

"We especially appreciate Romania's constant efforts to take responsibility for the past and to promote the memory of the Holocaust. The laws prohibiting Holocaust denial, preventing and combating anti-Semitism, but also the law for the establishment of the National Museum of Jewish History and the Holocaust are concrete examples of this. We also welcome the appointment by the Romanian Government of a special representative to promote the policies of memory and the fight against anti-Semitism. I would also like to thank President Klaus Iohannis, the Parliament and the Government of Romania for their firm commitment to fight anti-Semitism and intolerance. Romania is a good friend of the State of Israel, which is why we cannot deny the history that binds us, if we want to further strengthen this already strong friendship. We must accept it honestly and learn from its lessons. May the memory of the victims be blessed," said Saranga.

The Israeli diplomat drew attention to the presence, 80 years after the Iasi Pogrom, of anti-Semitic and xenophobic demonstrations reminiscent of "death trains."

"Eighty years after this massacre, death trains are still present in many European countries and beyond. Through the same violent instincts, feelings of hatred and intolerance, which are still present in society, in the public sphere and at the political level. The Holocaust criminals, those who deny it, but also the sympathizers of Marshal Antonescu, of the Legionary Movement, anyone who incites hatred must not be tolerated, the authorities and civil society must fight these attitudes, while not accepting any compromise. We commemorate today all those who were victims of hatred in those terrible days of June 1941 in Iasi, but we also celebrate those who survived. Many of them came to Israel and contributed to the formation of our modern state.The creation of the State of Israel is the answer to those who tried to exterminate our people and our memory. We managed to find in suffering and sadness the power to build a vibrant democratic society. We have built a safe place for Jews around the world to ensure that such a tragedy can never be a threat again," said David Saranga.

He paid tribute to a recently deceased survivor of the Iasi Pogrom, Iancu Tucarman, remembering him as having "an incredible desire for life," choosing "to rise above all this evil."

"Always a warm man, he turned his own experience into a lesson for future generations. His message was hateless, and through his gentle voice, hundreds of young people listened to his story and learned about the horrors of the Holocaust in Romania. It was an honor for me to meet him and I wanted to pay tribute to him, so that his memory will not be forgotten," added David Saranga.

The joint plenary sitting of the Parliament commemorates, on Wednesday, for the first time in its history, in a solemn session, the victims of the Pogrom from Iasi, from June 1941.