By, Petru Clej
1 min read
ByPetru Clej, Petru Clej
Romanian Holocaust experts have used the tenth anniversary of the publication of an unprecedented report into the country's role in the Shoah to consider what lessons have been learnt.
Chaired by Auschwitz survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, the October 2004 report led to the establishment of Romania's Holocaust Victims' Day and National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania.
Alexandru Florian, director of the Wiesel Institute, said the achievement had led to a series of educational projects and public events.
Commission member and historian Adrian Cioflanca said the illegality of Shoah denial in the country since 2002 had brought mixed results.
"In the mainstream public discourse, Holocaust denial and antisemitism attract scorn.
"There are still some Holocaust denials, but the strong reactions show that things have changed since the 1990s.
"The auth-orities have to learn though to enforce the law that penalises these verbal excesses," Mr Cioflanca said.
He pointed out that the educational impact of the report had been rather disappointing.
"Archives are today open, but far too few researchers choose this field.
"The biggest step back has been registered in the field of education; not many teachers choose to teach the history of the Holocaust and very few take seriously the fundamental idea that the history of the Jews and the tragedy of the Holocaust are part of Romania's modern history.
"They are not optional and eccentric subjects," Mr Cioflanca added.
The report stated that between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews and 11,000 Roma were murdered between 1940 and 1944 as a result of the actions of the regime led by the pro-Fascist dictator, Ion Antonescu.
