The Romanian nationalist party advocates less Holocaust education, Israeli ambassador strongly criticises their attitude.
The right-wing populist and nationalist political party of Romania, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) said that the Holocaust is a “minor topic”, and it shouldn’t be taught as a separate subject in schools. They claim that doing so is an “ideological experiment” and part of a “systematic action to undermine the quality of education in Romania”, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Ambassador to Romania David Saranga strongly criticised their statements in his tweet posted on January 4, 2022: “I firmly condemn the insulting attitude and statements made by some political leaders in Romania who have found it right to qualify the genocide of the Holocaust as a “minor topic” for the educational system”, adding that he always argued that “fair and objective knowledge” about the Holocaust in Romania is key to avoid such tragedies in the future.
“The young generation must thoroughly learn about this dark page in the history of humankind in order to understand that antisemitism, xenophobia and intolerance have no place in today’s society, and that they clash with the democratic and European values assimilated by Romania.”
Saranga claims that the AUR’s statements “are an outright proof of either a lack of taking responsibility or of ignorance”, noting that their comments meet the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Holocaust denial.
The Romanian Parliament approved a law in November that makes Holocaust study compulsory. Saranga praised their decision, saying that “Extremist reactions remind us that ideologies and radical manifestations are present even today,” adding that he is sure that “Romanian people will choose historical truth over antisemitic speech.”
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