2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Fundatia Tarbut Sighet
Cultura si Educatie Iudaica
10th Anniversary Report

Fundatia Tarbut Sighet Cultura si Educatie Iudaica celebrates its 10th year of operation since its official establishment in October 2014. This report reflects on our achievements, highlights significant developments, and outlines our future aspirations.

Early Initiatives, Challenges and Foundational Milestones

At the outset, our innovative approach to Jewish community cultural programs was met with initial skepticism from some community leaders. Romania's post-revolutionary environment (20 years after the 1989 Revolution) fostered a degree of uncertainty regarding the acceptance of year-round cultural programming beyond traditional holidays.

We express our profound gratitude to Mayor Ovidiu Nemes (2012-2016) for welcoming Tarbut and its inaugural international event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Sighet-Maramures Jewish deportations. Additionally, we acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Alina Marincean in supporting Tarbut during its initial years.

The inaugural gathering proved successful, attracting 10 Sighet survivors with their families and 125 guests from Israel, the USA, and Europe. The program offered a diverse range of activities, including visits to local sites, historical lectures, genealogical guidance, and participation in Sabbath traditions with the Jewish community.

Similar gatherings continued in 2015, 2017, and 2018, drawing in second-generation participants, including those from mixed marriages, seeking to explore their family origins.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in programming, prompting the utilization of Zoom and the creation of the "Sighet Generations" Facebook page for ongoing engagement. Tarbut successfully pivoted to online delivery, presenting programs to high school students across Romania on key dates such as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Romanian Holocaust Day, and the anniversary of the Sighet-Maramures deportations.

Expansion, Collaborations and Emerging Trends

In 2023, Tarbut secured an EU grant through AEPJ to organize European Days of Jewish Culture (EDJC) across Romania. This grant enabled the expansion of EDJC programs to numerous Jewish and non-Jewish communities throughout the country.

Programs were held in major cities like Sighet, Baia Mare, and Bucharest, reaching local communities, high schools, Jewish community centers, synagogues, and cultural centers.

We are deeply proud of Tarbut's achievements, particularly the successful expansion of our programs from Maramures to encompass the entire country.

We observe a growing awareness across Europe, including Romania, regarding the importance of preserving Jewish heritage sites.

This awareness extends beyond the Jewish community, with non-Jewish individuals forming associations dedicated to preserving local Jewish history. Tarbut actively supports and collaborates with these efforts.

Legislative Developments

A pivotal development in 2021 involved the Romanian Parliament's approval of a law mandating the teaching of the Holocaust and Jewish history in schools from 2023 onwards.

This law includes a dedicated unit on the Holocaust and Romanian Jewish heritage in the 11th grade history curriculum.

These developments positively impact many Jewish communities, especially those led by younger generations, even in locations with no remaining Jewish populations.

Impact and Inspiration

These positive changes are particularly significant for the "Children of Holocaust Survivors," also known as the Second Generation. They offer hope and confidence that local citizens, educators, and cultural professionals will continue to preserve and transmit Jewish heritage across Romania.

We have witnessed an increasing number of Romanian high school students pursuing "Jewish Studies" at universities, aiming for careers in academia, museums, and research libraries.

Tarbut is dedicated to supporting these young individuals and inspiring them to contribute to the preservation of Romanian Jewish heritage.

Core Activities and International Collaboration

You can find us on social media and learn more about our activities through the following links:

Facebook  | LinkedIn | Sighet Generations Facebook Group 

Tarbut focuses on two core missions:

• Genealogical research and "Family Roots Journeys": We assist individuals in tracing their ancestry and facilitate emotional journeys to rediscover family roots. These journeys are often complex and involve uncovering personal stories. Tarbut has successfully aided numerous individuals in locating family documents and visiting their ancestral homes in Sighet and the Maramures region.

• Education about Romanian Jewish heritage: We advocate for the importance of educating the broader Romanian population about the pre-Holocaust Jewish community, which numbered approximately 850,000 individuals. The Communist regime that followed World War II stifled open dialogue about the Holocaust and its impact on the Jewish community. Tarbut works to rectify this gap by offering various educational programs, including plays, concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, educational trips to Auschwitz, book publications, and more.

In addition, we produced plays, concerts, exposed the various communities with Holocaust theme films, designed exhibits, organized Journeys to Auschwitz with high school students, launched books and so on.

Tarbut's reach extends beyond Romania, with active collaborations in Israel through the ICR TLV (Israeli Cultural Center Tel Aviv). A significant highlight of 2022 was the launch of Emuna Elon's book, "We Who Wait," which tells a Sighet genealogical story. We highly recommend reading the book, available in both Hebrew ("נפשנו חיכתה, אמונה אלון") and English.

Collaboration with Hasefer Publishing House

For the past decade, Tarbut has maintained a collaborative relationship with Hasefer Publishing House. This partnership is particularly significant for contemporary Romanian readers, as many important works were censored during the Communist era. By making these translated works available, Tarbut ensures that Romanian citizens have access to the truth about the experiences of the Jewish community during that time.

Literary Contributions

Tarbut recognizes the importance of literature in preserving and understanding history. We actively promote works that shed light on the Jewish experience, including:

• "Across the Rivers of Memory" by Dr. Felicia (Steigman) Caramelly, a survivor of Transnistria, published by Azrieli Foundation (Toronto, Canada) in 2015. The Romanian translation, "Calatorie Pe Fluviul Amintirilor," offers accessibility to Romanian readers.

• "The Takeaway Men" by Meryl Ain, a Jewish American author, published by Spark Press (NYC, USA) in 2023. The Romanian translation, "Cei Care TeI au si Te Duc...," expands the book's reach.

We encourage readers to explore these works in English or Romanian. You can order copies on our publications page.

Gratitude and Future Aspirations