Location in relation to the surroundings

The monument was erected in front of the Great Synagogue in Iași, which was built in 1657-1671 and is one of the oldest Jewish places of worship in Romania.

Text of the inscription

IN MEMORY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE FASCIST POGROM OF IAȘI FROM JUNE 28-29, 1941

General description

The monument was built in honour of the thousands of Jews who were murdered on 28-29 June 1941 in Iași and buried in mass graves. A marble plaque with the inscription 'In memory of the victims of the fascist pogrom of Iași from 28-29 June 1941' is found on one side of the monument, while a menorah is depicted on a plaque on the other side of the monument.

Condition

Good

The circumstances of unveiling

The obelisk was erected in 1976 as a sign of respect and in homage to Holocaust victims.

Later history

Marking the 70^th anniversary of the pogrom of Iași, the Mayor’s Office had the monument redone in black marble and in a larger size, which was unveiled in a commemoration ceremony on 28 June 2011. The event was attended by representatives of local authorities, the Jewish community in Iași, rabbis from Romania and abroad, as well as the director of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. A marble plaque was added to the memorial obelisk of 1976, with an inscription in three languages (Romanian, English and Yiddish) with the following text: 'In memory of the more than 13,000 Jews, innocent victims of the Iași pogrom under Ion Antonescu’s regime. We will never forget!'.

Contemporary importance

It is a place of commemoration of Holocaust victims. In collective memory, it is a symbol for countering intolerance, for acknowledging the past and for civil harmony as being the norm. In 2015, it was included on the List of historical monuments in Iași County.

Publications, sources, links

https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumentul_Victimelor_Pogromului_de_la_Iași#cite_note-RE366-1

https://www.observatorcultural.ro/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Oc_830ALL-supliment.pdf