The Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova expresses deep concern regarding the public position of the Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Dan Perciun, voiced on May 15, 2025 in a television broadcast, concerning the retention in the school curriculum of the history textbook for 12th grade, despite the critical conclusions of international experts and civil society.
The aforementioned textbook, approved by the Ministry of Education, contains formulations, omissions and interpretations that diminish or distort the responsibility of the Antonescu regime for the Holocaust in Romania, as well as on the territory of Bessarabia and Transnistria.
We emphasise that this textbook: conceals or distorts fundamental historical facts about the genocide of Jews and Roma; presents the dictatorial and criminal regime of Marshal Ion Antonescu in a positive light; replaces critical analysis of the Antonescu regime with dangerous apologetics, contrary to democratic values and educational standards in the field of human rights.
The recent statement by Minister Perciun, according to which there is “nothing dramatic” in the textbook, directly contradicts the critical conclusion of the International Institute for Holocaust Research “Yad Vashem”, as well as the detailed analysis prepared by the National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania “Elie Wiesel”, which identified numerous and serious deviations in the content of the textbook.
In accordance with the established practice of the European Court of Human Rights, facts related to the Holocaust and crimes committed by condemned regimes cannot be revised, minimised or called into question under the pretext of academic freedom or pluralism of opinion. These subjects do not constitute an admissible object of revision in a democratic society.
We emphasise that this is not a matter of disagreements in academic opinions, but of the moral and legal responsibility of the state — the Republic of Moldova — to ensure authentic historical education in accordance with international obligations assumed, including within the framework of IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance). These and other arguments were presented by the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova at the press conference on February 18, as well as in two official addresses to the ministry — of February 17 and May 8 of the current year.
The Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova firmly demands: the withdrawal of the textbook from the educational process pending its revision; the reformulation of the textbook’s content based on the conclusions of international experts and the comments of the “Elie Wiesel” and “Yad Vashem” institutes; the initiation of genuine public debates with the participation of historians, educators, Holocaust survivors and representatives of civil society.
In the absence of such measures, we reserve the right to challenge the ministry’s decision through legal proceedings, in order to defend the right to authentic education. The denial of historical facts is a form of discrimination and an encroachment upon historical truth.
It is impossible to educate future generations in the spirit of truth and tolerance by distorting the past.
Press release — history textbook, May 16, 2025
