The European Jewish Association (EJA), which sits in Brussels and represents hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent, and the Foundation for Action and Defense, which sits in Budapest, this week published a comprehensive report on antisemitic attitudes in Moldova, as part of joint efforts to obtain an accurate picture of the current attitude in Moldova toward Jews.
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In a country of some 2.5 million inhabitants, only 1,900 Jews live today. The data shows that 36% of the residents in Moldova claim that Jews use dishonest ways to get what they want, 19% have negative perceptions about Jews and about 14% "really don't like them." The survey also shows that 32% of Moldovans say that Jews exploit non-Jews, 36% believe that Jews seek to gain an advantage by mentioning the Holocaust and 37% said that Jews talk about the Holocaust too much.
The survey, conducted between October 20 and November 14, 2023, spoke to 923 adult citizens, which constitute a representative sample of the population of Moldova. The authors of the study emphasized that they used a random sampling method to ensure the representativeness of the sample.
In recent years, the government of Moldova has taken several actions in the fight against antisemitism, such as adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism and changing the penal code, so that it includes a ban on the promotion of fascist, racist or xenophobic ideologies, public denial of the Holocaust, glorification of followers of fascism or Nazism and the use of fascist, racist symbols or xenophobia for public or political purposes.
"The published figures show an illogical and very high prevalence of antisemitic attitudes, said the chairman of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin.
Margolin noted that "the survey in Moldova is part of our ongoing efforts to properly map the situation affecting Jews throughout the continent. Unfortunately, it is clear to us that despite the efforts of the government in Moldova, deep-rooted antisemitism continues to exist. There can be no rational explanation why a community that represents such a tiny part of the whole population bears the burden of such a high number of stereotypes.
He added that "it will take much more than the adoption of the IHRA definitions and changes in the legal code to affect the existing antisemitic attitudes in the country. The change in school classrooms is an urgent matter, and if the change does not happen, the next generation will perpetuate and carry the virus of antisemitism with them. The government of Moldova has a difficult path in eradicating these old antisemitic attitudes that have no place in any modern country, especially one that seeks to join the European Union."