Society
Amb. John Todd Stewart: The Historical Dictionary of Moldova – an exceptionally useful book
Reading Time: 5 minutesJohn Todd Stewart’s presentation* at the book launching at the Writers Union of the Republic of Moldova’s office in Chisinau, Moldova on Sept. 17, 2007 (delivered in Romanian)
John Todd Stewart’s presentation* at the book launching at the Writers Union of the Republic of Moldova’s office in Chisinau, Moldova on Sept. 17, 2007 (delivered in Romanian)
My assignment on this panel is to comment on the second edition of the
Historical Dictionary of Moldova
from the standpoint of an American reader. I will fulfill this assignment but then make some additional reflections as a foreign friend of Moldova who has followed events here closely and sympathetically since serving as US Ambassador from 1995 to 1998.
First, let me simply say that the Historical Dictionary of Moldova is an exceptionally useful book for any English-speaking foreigner interested in the Republic of Moldova. The book shares a very approachable format with the other historical dictionaries of Europe published by Scarecrow Press. A novice can gain a quick orientation from the Chronology and Introduction 
and then delve into detail by reading the dictionary entries themselves. Reading the book from cover to cover involves a certain amount of repetition since some entries contain material covered in other entries. However, this repetition is useful for a reader who wishes to learn the basics of a particular subject by turning to the corresponding entry. Cross references are provided, however, for someone seeking more detail.
It is also a pleasure to report that the Dictionary is very well written. Neither author is a native English-speaker [Andrei Brezianu and Vlad Spanu], but they have produced a book with clear, concise and sometimes elegantly composed entries that compare well with better historical writing in the United States.
Special mention should be made of the detailed bibliography, which is helpfully organized by subject and extensively and expertly annotated. I was impressed by the wealth of material on Moldova that the authors found, most of which—I confess—had been unfamiliar to me.
Turning to the substance of the Dictionary, I applaud its lack of tendentiousness. As you ladies and gentlemen know better than I, the history of Moldova has been—and still is—fraught with controversy. While admitting my own prejudices, I believe the authors did an excellent job of controlling their own. I rather doubt that, say, Igor Smirnov would find the book’s interpretations to his liking, but they represent in my view a fair presentation of some very controversial subjects. I would have no hesitation, therefore, in recommending the Dictionary to American readers as a fair, judicious account of Moldovan history up to the present day.
In sum, the Historical Dictionary of Moldova will be exceptionally useful to any English-speaker assigned to Chisinau, both as an introduction to the country before arrival and as a source book during the person’s assignment. I only wish that the first edition, published in 2000, had appeared before my own arrival. Since so much of the material is time-sensitive, I hope that the Scarecrow Press will commission a third edition in the near future.
Now let me offer some reflections inspired by the Dictionary from the standpoint of a friend of Moldova.
The Dictionary is, of course, written in English for a foreign audience. While reading it, however, I wondered how much of the material in its entries would be familiar to the average educated Moldovan citizen—that is, someone who had completed secondary school. Professor Gordon Wright, a distinguished American historian, once said, “The history of a people isn’t really important, but what a people think their history is—that’s very important.”
What do citizens of Moldova believe, for example, about the interrelationships between what is now the Republic of Moldova on one hand and the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, and the other Romanian-speaking territories on the other? Older Moldovan citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, learned history in Soviet schools, but some history was undoubtedly absorbed at home as well from their parents and grandparents. Which source was more important? How do these citizens look on the past? What are the differences among ethnic groups in this respect?
After Moldova became independent, the country’s educators presented students with a history curriculum featuring a text, Istoria Romanilor. which presents a view of Moldovan history that I understand is roughly in line with the interpretations in the Dictionary. Has that curriculum been internalized by young Moldovan citizens who have studied it? For example, do younger Moldovan citizens look back with pride on the members of the Sfatul Tarii whose entries appear in the book? Is there a difference in reaction between Moldovan citizens of Romanian ethnicity and other Moldovan citizens? To be more blunt, will a student from a Slavic background identify with a history focused on the Romanian peoples?
One aspect of Moldovan history that is little discussed in the Dictionary is the interwar period, i.e., 1918-1940, when Bessarabia was part of Romania. The major exception I found was a quote from the “Jewish-American historian” Nicolas M. Nagy-Talavera, who wrote about the “elation” in 1940 of the Jewish and Ukrainian population “at the departure of the Romanian administration from this most misruled [italics added] part of the country ….” What are the actual and folk memories of Romania Mare in present-day Moldova? Do these memories differ among ethnic groups? How do they affect current politics, both national and international?
The Dictionary defines a nation as “a community of people sharing a common language, inhabiting a fixed territory, having common customs and traditions, and having become sufficiently conscious to recognize similar interests and a mutual need for single sovereign leadership.” That entry goes on to discuss the factors disqualifying Romania and Moldova as a single nation and describes “a kind of fuzzy identify crisis” that still afflicts the citizens of Moldova. This crisis may be due, as the authors suggest, to “prolonged Russification and intensive Soviet-style nation building,” but it exists and Moldova must deal with it if the country is to prosper as a nation-state.
The Dictionary’s definition of nation notwithstanding, there are examples today of bi- and multi-lingual nations–Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, for example. Although not without their problems, these countries generally satisfy the other criteria of nationhood.
Is it possible for the Republic of Moldova to develop into such a nation? This cannot happen if the minority ethnic groups do not master the language and learn the history of the majority group. In Moldova, of course, the majority group already speaks the principal language of the minority groups. But by the same token the majority ethnicity cannot attempt to dominate the culture to the exclusion of other groups, which comprise some one-third of the population.
For a sense of nationhood to develop, there must be mutual respect among Moldova’s ethnicities, including mutually sympathetic appreciation of the vicissitudes of the country’s history. The challenge for the Moldovan government and Moldovan elites is to develop such mutual respect and appreciation.
___________
John Todd Stewart was American Ambassador to Moldova from 1995 to 1998.
# # #
Paper cover 2010 edition: The A to Z of Moldova
Society
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
At the Government’s ground floor, the phones ring constantly, the laptop screens never reach standby. In one corner of the room there is a logistics planning meeting, someone has a call on Zoom with partners and donors, someone else finally managed to take a cookie and make some coffee. Everyone is exhausted and have sleepy red eyes, but the volunteers still have a lot of energy and dedication to help in creating a safe place for the Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s like a continuous bustle just so you won’t read the news. You get home sometimes and you don’t have time for news, and that somehow helps. It’s a kind of solidarity and mutual support,” says Vlada Ciobanu, volunteer responsible for communication and fundraising.
The volunteers group was formed from the very first day of war. A Facebook page was created, where all types of messages immediately started to flow: “I offer accommodation”, “I want to help”, “I want to get involved”, “Where can I bring the products?”, “I have a car and I can go to the customs”. Soon, the authorities also started asking for volunteers’ support. Now they all work together, coordinate activities and try to find solutions to the most difficult problems.
Is accommodation needed for 10, 200 or 800 people? Do you need transportation to the customs? Does anyone want to deliver 3 tons of apples and does not know where? Do you need medicine or mobile toilets? All these questions require prompt answers and actions. Blankets, sheets, diapers, hygiene products, food, clothes – people bring everything, and someone needs to quickly find ways of delivering them to those who need them.
Sometimes this collaboration is difficult, involves a lot of bureaucracy, and it can be difficult to get answers on time. “Republic of Moldova has never faced such a large influx of refugees and, probably because nobody thought this could happen, a mechanism of this kind of crisis has not been developed. Due to the absence of such a mechanism that the state should have created, we, the volunteers, intervened and tried to help in a practical way for the spontaneous and on the sport solutions of the problems,” mentions Ecaterina Luțișina, volunteer responsible for the refugees’ accommodation.
Ana Maria Popa, one of the founders of the group “Help Ukrainians in Moldova/SOS Українці Молдовa” says that the toughest thing is to find time and have a clear mind in managing different procedures, although things still happen somehow naturally. Everyone is ready to intervene and help, to take on more responsibilities and to act immediately when needed. The biggest challenges arise when it is necessary to accommodate large families, people with special needs, for which alternative solutions must be identified.
Goods and donations
The volunteers try to cope with the high flow of requests for both accommodation and products of all kinds. “It came to me as a shock and a panic when I found out that both mothers who are now in Ukraine, as well as those who found refuge in our country are losing their milk because of stress. We are trying to fill an enormous need for milk powder, for which the demand is high and the stocks are decreasing”, says Steliana, the volunteer responsible for the distribution of goods from the donation centers.
Several centers have been set up to collect donations in all regions of Chisinau, and volunteers are redirecting the goods to where the refugees are. A system for processing and monitoring donations has already been established, while the volunteer drivers take over the order only according to a unique code.
Volunteers from the collection centers also do the inventory – the donated goods and the distributed goods. The rest is transported to Vatra deposit, from where it is distributed to the placement centers where more than 50 refugees are housed.
When they want to donate goods, but they don’t know what would be needed, people are urged to put themselves in the position of refugees and ask themselves what would they need most if they wake up overnight and have to hurriedly pack their bags and run away. Steliana wants to emphasise that “these people are not needy, but these people need help. They did not choose to end up in this situation.”
Furthermore, the volunteer Cristina Sîrbu seeks to identify producers and negotiate prices for products needed by refugees, thus mediating the procurement process for NGOs with which she collaborates, such as Caritas, World Children’s Fund, Polish Solidarity Fund, Lifting hands, Peace Corps and others.
One of the challenges she is facing now is the identifying a mattress manufacturer in the West, because the Moldovan mattress manufacturer that has been helping so far no longer has polyurethane, a raw material usually imported from Russia and Ukraine.
Cristina also needs to find solutions for the needs of the volunteer groups – phones, laptops, gsm connection and internet for a good carrying out of activities.
Hate messages
The most difficult thing for the communication team is to manage the hate messages on the social networks, which started to appear more often. “Even if there is some sort of dissatisfaction from the Ukrainian refugees and those who offer help, we live now in a very diverse society, there are different kind of people, and we act very differently under stress,” said Vlada Ciobanu.
Translation by Cătălina Bîrsanu
Important
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
The international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against the Russian aggression. In a digital world – it is an interactive map of public support of Ukrainians under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.”
„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.
Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL
Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:
* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
* if there are no rallies nearby, organize one in support of Ukraine yourself, write about it on social media with geolocation adding the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
The map will add information about gathering by #WorldForUkraine AUTOMATICALLY
Your voice now stronger THAN ever
All rallies are already here: https://worldforukraine.net
Important
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours.
The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees.
On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.
The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”. Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella.
Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments:
The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu.
The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed.
The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations.
The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens).
According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child.
The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals.
The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.
The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling.
In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data.
Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
Reading Time: 3 minutesAt the Government’s ground floor, the phones ring constantly, the laptop screens never reach standby. In one...
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that...
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrom 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova....
Russia And Ukraine At The Beginning of 2022
Reading Time: 4 minutesThis opinion piece was written by Dr. Nicholas Dima. Dr. Dima was formerly a Professor of Geography and...
The man raising children on Nistru river
Reading Time: 7 minutesOn the Nistru, near the village of Varnița, a few colored pens with blue dots in the...
The village of the first astronomer in the Republic of Moldova
Reading Time: 5 minutesFrom eight in the morning till noon, every Thursday and Sunday, people lay their merchandise on the...
The prodigal son returns and turns his grandparents’ home in a tourist attraction on Nistru river
Reading Time: 7 minutesOn the road towards the school, a well-maintained rural house catches your eye, yellow stags painted on...
FC Sheriff Tiraspol victory: can national pride go hand in hand with political separatism?
Reading Time: 4 minutesA new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred...
Study// What is the reaction of authorities to journalistic investigations?
Reading Time: 3 minutes“People expect logical consequences when they see cases of undeclared assets, conflicts of interest, protectionism or proof...
Secretary General of CoE called on Moldova’s state institutions to avoid constitutional crisis. Politicians took it the way they wanted.
Reading Time: 3 minutesAt the beginning of this month, Speaker of Parliament, Zinaida Greceanii, sent a letter to Secretary General...