In February 2023, the first wave of volunteer artists, alongside 37 stu dents and teachers from Moldova Special High School, inaugurated the Jewish Memorial Open-air Mu seum - JEMOM. The seven artists from Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany, Egypt, and Jordan, led artistic res idencies in theater-dance, sounds & storytelling, drawing, and music. From December 13, 2023, to Jan uary 20, 2024, 11 artists from Bolivia, Egypt, Germany, Moroc co, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the U.K. crafted the second exhibition, overseeing six artistic residencies. Despite a decrease in persistent students, 16 success fully completed the program. The catalog delves into the artists› work, struggles, and successes. This year, the project received more support. We were granted by the AFCN to do more research about the Jewish history in Târgu Frumos, conduct consultations, develop an architectural plan for the future museum, and digitize all the information we have, including a 3D mapping of the cemetery. I need to confess that every year, working and coordinating these museum exhibitions, makes me explore a lot of new feelings. I am learning to listen beyond the words, to see wounds, to understand, and to find the middle point. The war in Palestine made some of the artists have a hard time getting involved. They felt the need to connect what happened in Târgu Frumos with the current war. As much as we would like to have peace and solidarity all over the world, we can’t do it alone. All people need to learn we are equal; hurting one, we hurt all. JEMOM focuses on what happened during the Romanian Holocaust, on the events in Târgu Frumos, and on the local Jewish cultural heri tage. If we imagine Romania as a human being, this human has a sin, he killed thousands of Jews and instead of regretting and repent ing, it is still in the phase of denial. The Moldova region is a well-known spiritual area; therefore, you may think people will understand the need for doing such projects. Well, not much. This project is a way to recognize, to apologize, to pay and pray. JE MOM is an invitation to reflect, re member, and stand against cruelty, encouraging every country to ac knowledge their own genocides. It›s an acknowledgment of history, and a call to ensure that the echoes of the past guide us towards a more compassionate future.

We prepared an audiobook together with visually impaired students. We recorded it by writing poems and stories together for the museum that will be opened in Târgu Frumos in the future. We worked with my colleague Dajana for this exhibition. We wanted to create a space where people could listen to the audiobook we prepared with children. We dreamed of a corner full of old books hanging on the wall and an area for people who come to the museum to listen to the audiobook we recorded. For the audiobook, we added sound effects to the back to match the el- ements in the story. In this way, we made the story more realistic.

The students of Moldova High- school were very special and sensitive children. And they under- stood and explained everything much better than we did. And I re- ally admired their creativity. Their eagerness to produce something motivated me a lot.

The first thing that strikes me is that massacres are unfortunately taking place all over the world, from the smallest town to the largest settlement. Humanity has experienced and is experiencing very difficult things all over the world. And I guess humanity has never learned any lessons from these. However, it is very valuable and important that such sad events are expressed and not forgotten. The more the social memory and re- action are kept alive, the less likely such things will happen.

It was a heavy subject for me to work on. From time to time, it was difficult for me to find the motivation to work on it, but it was important for me to contribute to making it a part of social memory. The culprit of all wars and massacres is not a group of people or peoples, but simply the product of the system they created. Too many such things have happened and continue to happen in the world.

We should not only look at this emotionally. People need to show solidarity regardless of race, religion, or geography. Only in this way can this situation come to an end.

I think this museum concept should be expanded. It is admirable some- thing is being tried to be done about the culture and experiences of this place. However, this project is sensitive and tackling international issues, therefore its perimeter can be expanded a little more.

Me and Aliye’s workshop was about making an Audiobook with the visually impaired students by doing creative writing and creating a poem and story with them. I had one student, but it was great. We first showed some educational videos and survivor stories about the Holocaust in Romania, and we let him write down his feelings. After that, we created a poem with him. Next, we planned the story. We researched the timeline of events of the Iași pogrom and planned our characters and made character descriptions. After this, the student wrote the story with us helping him a little. After polishing the poem and story, we recorded the Romanian and English versions of them for the Audiobook. The result is the great creative writing of our talented student for our Audiobook.

My idea was to make an Audiobook for the JEMOM so people could scan a QR code when the open- air museum opens, and they could listen to it while walking through it. With this book, people would be introduced to the Holocaust in Romania, specifically Iași and Târgu Frumos. I wanted to mention real streets and places where historical events of the Second World War happened so that people from Iași could know the history of some of the streets that they walk every day. This Audiobook with the poem and story, which has the sound effects in them, is a great way to bring history and the stories near people’s hearts because it imitates the situations very well. For example, hearing the cries of a mother or the radio announcement of Iași being bombarded. Or also listening to someone remembering their dear Jewish childhood friends and living through the Second World War as a Rroma. It’s a great tool to make people aware, and it’s also inclusive for people with visual im- pairment.

It was a great experience for me. Of course, we struggled a little because we also had the language barrier, so the whole workshop was with Google Translate, and also writing notes on paper takes a bit longer. But it’s not a problem. There are alternatives for every- thing, so we used a digital file to write faster. It was also my most quiet art residency, which for me is not a bad thing at all. It wasn’t a bad silence. It was silent because he was passionate about the work, interested, and enjoyed it. He is still my most passionate student. It was very enjoyable for me to have this experience, and I will cherish it for my whole life.

I learned that the Iași Pogrom was one of the worst pogroms of the Second World War. Târgu Frumos was an important part of Iași Pogrom because on the 1st July 1941, the bodies from the “Iași - Călărați

Death Train” were retrieved here. The freight train departed from the Metropole Iași to the east on the morning of 30 June. Also, the horrible removal of corpses from the death train in the town of Târgu Frumos happened, in the Jewish cemetery. Târgu Frumos’s police chief at the time, Commissioner Ion Botez, had ordered a massacre of some of the survivors from the death train. So I learned that many of the passengers’ journey ended in Târgu Frumos, which is why it’s important to remember what had happened in their train station, and people should know they have the cemetery here.

I feel honored to be able to make an artwork in remembrance of the victims of the Romanian Holo- caust with a focus on the Iași Pogrom and the Târgu Frumos death train, and I still feel shocked to not have known about the Romanian Holocaust before coming here to Romania. Never once have I heard.

about it in Germany or anywhere. I think it should get more attention and more awareness. But I do think that Romania should honour all the victims of the Romanian Holocaust, especially since one of the other most persecuted minorities was the Rroma, which is a big part of the Romanian population.

We should never forget history, and we should never repeat. We should use this knowledge to better our present and our future all around the world. We humans should treat each other with respect. Education and remembrance are the only cures for hatred and bigotry. We are all humans, let it be different religions, different cultures, or different appearances.

I think that the museum should change its description to the Holocaust museum to honour all the victims of this terrible event. The official description of the Holocaust is: ‘the mass murder of Jewish people under the German Nazi regime during the period 1941–5. More than 6 million European Jews, as well as members of other persecuted groups such as Rromani, gay people, and disabled people, were murdered at concentration camps such as Auschwitz.’ I think it’s important to include these groups because the 5000 Rromani Holocaust victims should be mentioned especially by Romanian organizations to shed light on it. I don’t think it would be appropriate to talk about it in the Rroma museum. And generally, it should be more inclusive to bring the other victims to attention too. I think that it’s really good that it highlights this story because not a lot of people know about the participation of Romania in the Holocaust. And it’s also an important but dark part of history for Iași and Târgu Frumos. So I think the cause is good, but it should be more inclusive.

My workshop during JEMOM residencies focused on music, and together with the kids, we wrote a song. I cooperated with Raphaëlle that showcased her amazing skills on the violin and piano. Sara, one of the students, played the guitar and sang, while Sebi impressed us with his rap skills. The result was impressive for me, and I loved the song that we created.

Creating a piece of music for everyone, we were astonished by the incredible talent of the students at this school; they were truly professionals.

The Romanian Holocaust is some- thing that no one can accept. I feel really sad about this because it’s happening these days with our friends and families in Palestine. I think we should bring the history in the present because there are a lot of things connected to what happened in the past.

At Moldova High School, Mu- hammed and I facilitated a music workshop with the students. We composed a song together, incorporating violin, guitar, voice, and piano parts. The students displayed remarkable talent, and we had the opportunity to collaborate with Sebi, the school’s music teacher. Over the six days, we played music, wrote lyrics, and had fun improvising. The outcome of our workshops was gratifying, and the final song is beautiful.

I enjoyed working with the students at Moldova High School, feeling their deep connection and understanding of music and emotions, particularly Sara and Patricia. Working with visually impaired people taught me a lot, witnessing how music can be a form of communication and self-expression. For the individual artwork, I am composing a piece of music for the violin. The piece will be exhibited in a dark space with a single candle in memory of innocent lives lost in genocide. 

I discovered the horrific suffering endured by those on the train, whose victims are buried in Târgu Frumos. Visiting the cemetery was a somber experience, and seeing the mass grave of those who lost their lives here due to the Romanian Holocaust saddened me.

Discussing this museum in the cur- rent political climate has been delicate. I feel great sadness for the tragedy of lives lost during the Romanian Holocaust, emphasizing the importance of not forgetting the victims. Due to the timing, I cannot ignore current events, particularly the dire situation in Gaza and the innocent lives lost on October 7th. This project has been a time of re- flection, discussion, and attempts at mutual understanding. The suffering of past victims must be remembered and acknowledged, with remorse felt as a nation. Simultaneously, we must condemn current political movements sup- porting the attempts to annihilate the people of Palestine. While remembering past victims, we must take action for the present moment and condemn the political forces destroying Gaza, soon be- coming a historical event of human tragedy.

Of course, the Holocaust was a terrible event in human history that is sickeningly recent. How do I see the future of this museum is a difficult question to answer because I don’t know how current political events will unfold, affecting how the museum develops. Having a memorial space commemorating the lives lost in the specific event of the Holocaust train of Târgu Frumos is a good thing, depending on how the museum is advertised and the motives behind promotion, whether political or purely in honour of the lives lost here during the Romanian Holocaust.

During the JEMOM residency, I did a workshop about cooking mixed with sound art with Hajer. We explored how to work with sounds around us and cooked different Jewish dishes, as well as other dishes related to peace. Then, we tried to represent what these foods produced for us, and what we learned with sound sculpture, expressing all the students’ emotions through sound. The main idea of this art residency was to spread and promote peace.

My main idea for this exhibition was doing sound art sculpture and talking about emotions. So I’ve created 20 face expressions with clay that represent all the suffering and pain from the people on that train, and I want to give them a voice, the opportunity to make this space scream and shout through the sound sculptures. By being in contact inside them with a small piece of clay, people or the environment (for example, the air from outside) can make them sound in different ways and create some kind of melodies or noise. I also want the public to express their emotions through them, so it’s a space where you can pour out what you carry inside.

It was an amazing experience to work with visual impaired students, and I really would like to continue working with them. We could connect on many occasions very well; they were so calm but also excited for these workshops, and they have such unique personalities that gave me a lot of energy and positivity to continue doing this.

It was a completely unknown history for me that Romania had also persecuted the Jewish people, so I found that story interesting but also really sad, and it makes me feel very strong emotions. It has been very difficult to find the right way to talk about it. I think it’s a topic that touches very cruel and unbelievable parts of human society. And it talks about problems that are still happening in the world, so it can actually bring so many emotions to the tragedy that happened in Târgu Frumos many years ago.

I would like people to be very well educated about Holocaust, with a critical mind and good values so that something like this does not happen again. If people have the capacity to manage conflicts and emotions, it is more difficult for these types of problems to end up getting bigger. I think the key is education and the state of the country and its people.

Related to JEMOM museum, I see it’s a very good idea to visualize what happened there and give a new use to a space that has been abandoned, to reconvert and remember the victims, to give them a voice in a way and make use of the space where people can interact and see what’s in there.

: In Moldova school, I wanted to proceed as usual, starting with an introduction to the project and then showing the process of creating a mural and developing the concept. I didn’t have too many students this time, only three at the beginning, and none of them was particularly skilled in drawing. So, I talked to them, showed some photos for inspiration, and tried to get their ideas to create the mural my- self. They were creative, and I got a good concept for the project.

For this exhibition, I used the concept created for the mural, which depicts hands holding up or sup- porting a blindfolded girl flying freely. This symbolizes our sup- port for humanity, peace, and tolerance—supporting each other or those seeking help. The concept includes a colourful background, reflecting our hopes for a bright and peaceful future.

The experience of working with youth with special needs is one that I will be proud of for my entire life. It was unique, and I learned a lot from it. Initially, it was challenging for me to convey my knowledge due to the language barrier. Some students were interested in the graffiti workshop, but creating a concept on paper was challenging for them because of their limited sight. It was also an opportunity to see how they live in the school, how they help each other, and the unique way they live.

I learned that a Jewish community resided here in Târgu Frumos be- fore World War II, contributing to the town’s cultural and economic life. Sadly, during the war, many of them were deported and killed in the Holocaust.

One of the biggest challenges for me was working on this project at this specific time because of what’s happening in Palestine. As humans, we always seek humanity and look for peace and tolerance everywhere, every time, and with whomever.

I really love these kinds of projects that show the history of such events to remind us about what we did in the past, not to repeat it. Unfortunately, we keep repeating it over and over.

I didn’t have the opportunity to fa- cilitate a residency because I had to travel during this time, but I hope the students had a great time with my colleagues.

For this exhibition, I prepared a work related to the LGBTQ+ community since, in the Holocaust, they were also very oppressed and erased. No one wants to talk about this subject really, even if the fact of not talking about it doesn’t make it non-existent.

Târgu Frumos’ history is something that we don’t often talk about. I never knew about this train, and the fact that it happened in the place where I live at the moment is just very shocking.

Due to the current situation in the world, it was challenging to work on this exhibition. Not because we dismiss the suffering and the his- tory of a place like Târgu Frumos, not at all. But also because, sadly enough, currently, we are living this type of genocide in so many places in the world, and it makes a direct echo with some of the artists. Of course, in terms of history, we have to learn from our past mistakes as human beings to not recreate what happened before. But once again, sadly enough, these types of genocides are not part of history; they are part of our “right now.”

My stance is simple; I will never agree with the erasure of a culture, I will never stand aside genocide, and we have to be very careful with power and those who use it.

If we clarify the stance for the JE- MOM museum, I see a bright future for it, to recreate a connection with history and the present.

During the residency I did a work- shop on photography and light painting. I believe it was a great idea for the visually impaired student to learn more about photography, especially something interesting like light painting. We began by exploring the camera and the basics of photography. After that, I provided them with the opportunity to try the light painting technique as a means to express their feelings and ideas.

The work was intense; working with visual impaired students was challenging and emotional on many levels. They have a lot of difficult stories, and sometimes it wasn’t easy to connect with them, especially due to the language barrier. However, it motivated me to learn more about their feelings and perspectives on life, evoking various emotions in me as well.

I also have a recommendation for the future. It would be more beneficial and productive if each work- shop had a teacher from the school to assist the artists in the process. This would help address the issue of the language barrier, as well as provide the special treatment they need. We are not adequately educated to know how to do that in the right way without unintentionally causing harm.

It was my first time knowing the story of the Iasi death train, and also to know about the memorial in Târgu Frumos. But my emotions were not conducive to working on this project. As widely known, a genocide and ethnic cleansing are unfolding in Palestine, visible to the entire world through various media and social networking sites. Sadly, it is being perpetrated by a Jewish state employing bloody Zionist policies, seizing and occupying land not rightfully theirs. They an- nihilate the people without mercy or humanity, disregarding international laws related to war and its crimes. It seems illogical for people who have suffered in the past to engage in such actions. There’s a sense of absurdity and inconsistency in this world that I strongly oppose.

I felt constrained in expressing myself for this project, as there are evident connections between the past and present. It’s crucial for the world to understand these links to comprehend the complete truth and learn from the mistakes of both the past and the present if we genuinely aim to present an accurate portrayal of the troubling world we currently inhabit.

Clearly and explicitly, I reject all forms of human rights violations and atrocities committed by hu- mans against each other. In truth, I don’t know, but what I hope for in the future is that there are real connections and acceptance of reality, allowing people the opportunity to understand everything between the past and the present. This would create a broad and genuine perspective to comprehend the severity of these actions. This is if we genuinely care about humanity in general, without limiting it to specific races or individuals.

I worked with students at Moldova High School on depicting emotions. By attempting to convey the abstract to the concrete using the power of colours, I witnessed the students’ different perspectives reflected in the paintings. I pondered emotions, which serve as the starting point for wars, genocides, and even peace, and wondered how they are perceived by different people. What was the reflection of these feelings on the children who will shape the future? What was the fear? Hate, grudge, courage, peace, happiness... What did these emotions mean to them? How did they perceive these emotions that altered the course of the world? We sought answers to these questions together. We engaged in extensive discussions about feelings and translated them onto paper with colours. By the end of the day, we had dozens of paintings that provided insights into how different children perceive various emotions. In the next

step, we contemplated the question, ‘What should the world be like?’ and began creating a utopia from the paintings we had. We opt- ed to select paintings associated with emotions such as happiness, peace, and love, transforming them from the second dimension to the third dimension. Subsequently, we sought a figure that would best represent these beautiful feelings in our utopia, turning the paintings into bird figures using the origami technique. By bringing together the birds symbolizing peace, happiness, and love, we crafted a collaborative artwork, a reflection of the utopia we collectively created.

In summary, about working with visually impaired youth I can only say that it was extremely challenging. Things became even more com- plicated when special needs came into play, on top of the communication and language problems we were already experiencing while working with children. Working with a group of students who re- quire specific care on such a sensitive topic was psychologically very demanding. I believe it requires additional specialized training for us to attempt to view the world through their perspective, empathize, and respond to their needs accurately. There were many traumatic moments that they may not have even realized, but are etched in our memories. Despite everything, gaining their love and looking at life from a completely different perspective was an experience I will never forget throughout my life.

For my artwork in this exhibition, I reflected extensively on the Holocaust, one of the darkest chapters in human history, and its impact on me and the emotions it evoked. A profound conflict arose within me between the past and the present. The realization that the victims, who had experienced cruelty in the past and knew the pain of genocide the most, were perpetrating

the same merciless acts on other innocent people over the years, led me to question my belief in humanity. To be honest, these emotions made my participation and the creation process of this project very challenging. At the end of the day, I concluded that the best thing I could do as an artist was to con- vey a peaceful message to those encountering my work. I aim to prompt our audience to question why we always focus on the painful history and choose to be spectators of ongoing genocides when we could promptly intervene and prevent oppression. Throughout the exhibition, all viewers will be left pondering the genocide within themselves and exploring its emotional roots. This introspection will occur in front of my artwork, for which I drew inspiration from the book ‘Pogromul de la Iași’ written by Radu Ioanid, detailing the Holocaust in Romania during the Second World War:

‘’History forgets evil, criminal history is overlooked. Collective memory does not retain it, does not assume the role of perpetrator. Therefore, most often, genocidal acts are commemorated only by the descendants of the victims.’’

Firstly, I learned that Romania was one of the first countries to commit genocide during the Holocaust, a fact that is not often mentioned in history and is not even accepted by the broad masses of the Romanian people. I discovered that they murdered hundreds of thousands of people with despicable tortures that the devil could not even conceive of. When I learned about the Rroma people who were oppressed for centuries as slaves and were permitted to take the jewels and clothes from the murdered Jewish people in exchange for carrying their dead bodies, I realized that they were making people hurt each other. This might be the cruelest and most despicable thing I have ever heard in my life. Working on JEMOM caused a fierce conflict between the past and the present within me. I experienced numerous mental breakdowns, became exhausted, and felt sick at heart. However, by the end of the day, I recognized that history

repeats itself. A person who was once a victim turns into the op- pressor over the years. When a certain society is oppressed, and the rest remain bystanders without extending a helping hand to those who fall, this oppression evolves into an unabated and even growing hatred passed on through generations. Eventually, this hatred manifests as cruelty towards entirely different innocent people in a different place. So, why can’t we stop this? Because we prefer to remain spectators when we could intervene in the ongoing events. It’s as if we are waiting for it to become part of ‘history’ before addressing the brutality that occurred. We bequeath to our grandchildren the cruelty we once witnessed, so they remember it with sorrow and regret. How sincere are we in doing this? As long as we, as humanity, persist in this, will suffering and brutality ever cease in the world? Shouldn’t we talk about things, make them visible, and intervene before they become his- tory? Shouldn’t we pass on to our grandchildren the peace we built instead of a history filled with pain and cruelty? Don’t our future generations deserve more than leafing through the pages of history filled with genocided innocent people? Don’t they deserve to experience the peace their ancestors built? Just as lives were extinguished in the past, and even babies are being subjected to genocide now, they deserve.

“These thoughts keep colliding in my head, tormenting me in a completely different way. I believe that as humanity, we need to question why we always have to focus on black history. If we have to discuss the genocide of more than 6 million people, subjected to various forms of torture and brutality, today’s responsibility lies with our ancestors who failed to intervene when necessary, passing on to us a shameful legacy. The Holocaust, the bloodiest stain in human history, was inherited from our ancestors who stood by and watched oppression. The blood of 6 million people subjected to genocide is not only on the hands of those who oppressed but also on the hands of those who did not intervene when they had the opportunity. While we still have the chance to intervene, we should not stand by and watch the atrocities taking place today, so that our grandchildren will not have to talk about another bloody history we inherited in the future.”

“I believe that this exhibition will have a more positive impact if it fundamentally questions ‘genocide’ by examining the issue from a broader perspective, rather than isolating it to a specific group. Delving into the root of the problem and individually questioning ourselves on sensitive issues that are open to polarizing people al- lows us to empathize rather than sow seeds of hatred for the future. Exposing the enormity of genocide and oppression, regardless of the victim, and instilling peace in our children without polarization will likely be the first step in preventing future atrocities.”

To be honest, my work with students could have been more productive. Mostly, it was an experience for me to see someone who observes the world in a new way. We started by painting shadows, aiming to create high-contrast il- lustrations on canvas. However, I figured out that it was not very interesting for them. After that, I tried doing some relief sculptures using clay, inspired by “3D Tactile Fine Art Printing.” We got some results, and now I have two portraits of visually impaired students made by themselves. However, I didn’t feel capable of working with them. It was challenging—my first time working for an extended period with small kids as well. At times, it was a shock. Some of them proved to be more independent than you might expect while simultaneously exhibiting unexpected needs that took me by surprise. In the end, they are just kids, locked away from the world outside their small bubble.

For my artwork, I chose the topic of the 10 Stages of Genocide to help people learn more about how cruelty manifests in our world. Simultaneously, while working on my project, I found myself reflecting on my own trauma.

It was a bit strange putting myself in those posters. This is something that all my friends back home have likely experienced. When you look in the mirror and realize that you are now a victim, prey, and your people turn into mere numbers in the daily news. It’s cruel, but I hope that people at the exhibition will try to put themselves in those circum- stances. The first step of under- standing is always empathy, even if it hurts.

At the same time, as you read about the mechanisms of genocide, you begin to see it everywhere, at different stages, like coals smoldering next to wood.

Cruel things. I wouldn’t say that I found out something entirely un- expected regarding the history of the Romanian Holocaust. The story is as old as the world itself. People live, and people get killed because someone thinks they don’t have a right to live. However, the fact that I never actually heard about this happening in Romania is upsetting. The theme of this museum is exceptionally delicate, considering both the present situation and historical context. Choosing information to educate while avoiding any contribution to current political tensions posed a significant challenge.

Nonetheless, my ultimate goal re- mains unwavering—to educate people. Despite the complexities, I am dedicated to achieving this objective.

I deeply sympathize with all the victims of human cruelty.

The future of this museum is a challenging decision. I believe this museum should be put on hold or rebranded until the present be- comes quieter than the past.

In cooperation with Violeta, during the art residency, I conducted cooking and sculpting/sound art workshops. We cooked many dishes with the visually impaired students, including shakshuka, which is a dish originally from North African Jews, and we also cooked various other dishes for the sake of peace. The results were good, and the students had a lot of fun and learned a lot about peace.

For my personal artwork, I painted a canvas in which a train makes its way through darkness and fog in a desolate place, expressing the concept of the death train.

For the experiential activities, the public is invited to learn Hebrew letters by writing their names in this language

Working on this exhibition, I learned that the world is racist, cruel, and rejects difference. It was difficult to deal with the emotions in this museum, especially since there is a genocide happening right now. That is painful.

I believe in the future, the museum can be developed more through new ideas.