On September 6, 2026, in Chisinau, the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova launched the third edition of the National Festival “European Days of Jewish Culture,” part of the European initiative dedicated to promoting Jewish heritage, traditions, and culture.
This year’s edition offers an extensive program of cultural and educational events. The Festival opened with the launch of the “GESHER” cultural-educational forum (Bridge), held at the Jewish Community Center. Participants from both banks of the Nistru River took part in lectures, book presentations, film screenings, online tours, Jewish dance workshops, and discussions dedicated to Jewish history, traditions, and contemporary culture.
Guests of the forum included historians, researchers, educators, rabbis, and specialists from the Republic of Moldova, Israel, and the international academic community. The program also included a special evening of Jewish humor, “Life, Love and Dreams,” by the distinguished People’s Artist and theater director Iosif Șaț, followed by the festive opening of the evening and a concert by the YOLKA BAND, accompanied by a kosher wine tasting.
Special attention was given to children, for whom the “Itzik Manger” Jewish Library hosted a separate program with creative activities, handicraft workshops, and an animated film screening, so that the whole family could take part in the celebration of Jewish culture.
The Festival continues in the following days with the exhibition “Voices of the Synagogues,” presented at the National Museum of History of Moldova on September 7, as well as with a presentation of works by artists of Jewish origin at the National Art Museum of Moldova on September 8, and musical-literary evenings organized in Riscani on September 8, in Cahul on September 10, and Edinet.
The Festival is organized by the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova, within the European program of AEPJ – the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage, together with the Council of Europe, with the support of the following partners: the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Moldova, the Embassy of the State of Israel in the Republic of Moldova, NATIV – the Israeli Cultural Center, the Jewish Agency for Israel “Sohnut,” OlamAid, the National Museum of History of Moldova, the National Art Museum of Moldova, the ANU Museum – the Museum of the Jewish People, the KEDEM Jewish Cultural Center, the International Training Center, the “Itzik Manger” Jewish Library, Orhei-Vit, and Carlevana Winery, as well as the partner cultural institutions and local administrations in Cahul, Edinet, and Riscani.
Through this edition, the National Festival “European Days of Jewish Culture” creates a space of encounter between history, art, education, and tradition, inviting the public to discover the richness of Jewish heritage in the Republic of Moldova and the diversity of European Jewish culture.
