Iasi

Several universities function in Iasi, at least two of them respectably large; one of these consists of a medical school and a dental school. parenthetically, many physicians and dentists in Israel are products of Romanian schools, and are highly respected; the education is on a high level.

The economic situation of ordinary (and even not-so-ordinary) people is parlous. Few salaries are above about US$100/month, and a university-educated professional told me of his $85 monthly income. This explains the existence of so many second-hand shops selling everything from clothing to computers. ("Second Hand" is now a Romanian term, and appears on storefronts.) All this recalls the situation in Czechia when I first visited there over ten years ago, but is probably worse (while the situation of Czechs and Poles has improved in the interim); many people work two jobs. At the same time, there is also plenty of money around: one sees many expensive automobiles on the street, well beyond e.g. my means, and there are stores selling expensive goods too. I saw very little horse-drawn transport in the city; in the countryside, one sees little motor transport.

Internet cafes are ubiquitous, as elsewhere in Eastern Europe, and are very inexpensive (typically the equivalent of $1.50/hour, figured by the minute); connections are slow, and equipment is, as proprietors told me, "second hand" from abroad.

Before the Shoah, Jews consitituted about a quarter of the population of Iasi; the number of synagogues in the city was 127, and the city was famous as a center of Jewish learning and scholarship. Now there is a small Jewish population, largely elderly, and a single operating synagogue, which is very small. On the Shabbat when I visited, there was a bare minyan with the help of three young Israelis studying medicine in the medical school.

The Jewish cemetery is very large (I do not know that it is the only one that there ever was). It is reasonably will tended and maintained, unlike nearly all such cemeteries in Poland, which tend to be totally neglected and overgrown beyond recognition. It is open to visitors every weekday (unlike the one in Dorohoi) for a small entrance fee, and when I was there a watchman and a clerk were present. The watchman wanted me to give him money (I had already paid the fee), and even to bargain about the amount; this happened several times in Romania, but never anywhere else in Eastern Europe, even when things were at there worst, which probably says something about Romania.

I happened to visit Iasi during the week of a Goldfaden Festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, in which plays by the distinguished Yiddish author and playwright were staged, in Yiddish, by the State Jewish Theater. The actors of the Theater's company are, unsurprisingly, not Jews, therefore not speakers of Yiddish from childhood. I attended a performance of Shylock at the very impressive Opera House; I had some reservations about the performance (best discussed in private email, rather than in a Web publication).

Public Buildings

A building and statuary of one of the universities. At the right, the Student Union

These are two small office buildings, obviously dating from before all the unpleasantness of the twentieth century. There are, of course, new buildings, mostly international in character, are being built now.

These four statues represent four early warlords in the history of Iasi and the region

The Opera House, in its park

The Cathedral, its entrance, and another church.

The Palace of Culture, which houses four museums; the Municipality

An elementary school and a secondary school. At right is what I take to be a regional military headquarters.

At left is Hotel Traian (named for the Roman emperor) which was designed by Gustav Eifel. One wall of its lobby is covered by a photograph of the building in 1902. It has only two stars, but I don't know how they figure: it's a very comfortable establishment. At right is Hotel Unirea, built during the Communist era, which has three stars and is far less comfortable than the Traian, although both are acceptable.

Streets and Parks

Iasi celebrated its Saint's day while I was there, in a real festival atmosphere. Thus the small military parade shown here. At the right is a large class of children going to the Cathedral.

This brass band played in the rain (note the umbrellas) in front of the Palace of Culture for hours; they are quite good. They subsequently moved to Unirii Plaza, where a bandstand had been erected. The next picture shows the band's audience, and the one at the right shows a Bolivian combo that I have seen (or others like it) in every European country I have visited, from Spain and Turkey to Norway and Latvia.

People in the street. At the left of the third row below is an open stand for selling leather coats, very good merchandise, and very good prices.

Nowhere have I ever seen a density of dental offices to compare with that of Iasi. Just as Lomza has a shoe store every few meters, Iasi is chock-a-block with dentists. This is related to the presence of a first-class school of dentistry at one of its universities.

Streets

This is a large open-air restaurant, a very pleasant place.

These two pictures are from the Botanical Garden; the two in the next row are other city parks

The only significance of this tourist bus is what is stenciled on its side. Its body is built by Merkavim an Israeli company that makes most of the bus bodies in Israel. Romania is a major trading partner of Israel, but I was surprised to see this. Besides electronics of various kinds, Israeli consumer goods are much in evidence: the instant coffee trade is dominated by Elite (although some of the merchandise comes from Elite's Netherlands plant) and the fruit drinks of Pri-Gat divide the market with those of Pepsi-Cola.

Balloon ascensions were taking place in the park of the Opera House. These attained an altitude of about 20 meters (sic); I didn't enquire about the price of a ticket.

Houses

Some of these houses are old construction, or built by similar methods or to a similar standard; others are villas testifying to the fact that there is indeed new money in Romania. Note the house at the right of the first row, which shows clearly the method of construction: you can see clearly that, under the stucco, the wall is lath and wattle; it's the only non-medieval example of this that I have seen.

Jewish Community

The building at left houses the offices of the small Jewish community of Iasi. The next shows the synagogue, the only active one now in Iasi. At right, the lintel over the entrance to the Beit Midrash: "Open the gates, and a righteous and faithful people will enter"

Two plaques on the synagogue building. The Romanian plaque reads: "For Eternal Memorial. This synagogue was completed in 1672, on the foundation of a synagogue built in 1580. It was restored following the earthquake of 4 March 1977, on the initiative of Dr. Moses Rosen, Chief Rabbi of Romania and President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania, and through the selfless and devoted efforts of Dr. Pharm. Simion Caufman, President of the Jewish Community of Iasi" The Hebrew plaque adds only the Hebrew dates and the Hebrew name of Dr. Caufman (Shmuel), but doesn't mention the 1580 structure at all.

At left is a monument on the grounds of the synagogue (which is visible in the background). The plaque it bears reads: "In memory of the victims of the Fascist pogroms in Iasi on 28-29 June 1941".

Jewish Cemetery

This is the street sign on the street leading to the cemetery: "Jewish Cemetery Drive

The beginning of Jewish Cemetery Drive, with the pedestrian and vehicular gateways. The actual cemetery is a long walk up the hill, so that it seems that the Community owns or owned quite a large tract for expansion or other use.

The building housing the offices of the Cemetery and the H.evra Kadisha; the lintel over the entrance: "The Destination of Every Living Thing"; the large plaque is the entire El Maleh Rah.amim prayer. The picture at right shows the Cemetery beadle.

At left a general view of a corner of the cemetery; no Jewish cemetery that I saw in Poland is in this kind of orderly condition, not overgrown, and with all the stones erect. Next is an enclosure with a sign reading: "Parcel for the heroic Jewish soldiers who served in the war for the integrity of Romania, 1916 - 1918". At right, some of the graves within. Note that all this has survived the participation of Romania in the Second World War on the Axis side.

These are the mass graves holding the remains of the victims of the Iasi pogrom of 1941. The plaque, however, is devoted to the memory of those transported to extermination camps; it reads:

For these I weep (Lamentations 1:16)

For the myriads of thousands of Israel, beloved and pleasant, our brothers Children of Israel of the holy community of Iasi, which was a Jewish metropolis.

For its rabbis and sages, for its leaders, and for its functionaries, for its scholars and men of action, pious and perfect, saintly and pure, men, women, and infants, who were exterminated by the murderers, fascist-racist enemies of the Jews, in the year in which we witnessed evil, 5701, on the third, fourth, and fifth of the month of Tammuz.

They were butchered like sheep brought to slaughter, and the sun and moon gazed in shame upon the murders in the streets of the city, which had become a "Killing City".

They were placed in the closed freightcars of the Railway of Death, and transported during three days and nights, without water and unable to breath, and their tortured cry rose to Heaven, and they found no mercy in the hearts of their cruel persecutors, until most died of thirst and strangulation.

My eyes, my eyes shed tears for the shattered daughter of my people. They are united with the Six Million who were murdered during the years of the Shoah.

"Earth, do not hide their blood." We will never forget their memory. With consolation and in building Zion and Jerusalem, we will find our solace.

Committee of the Holy Congregations of Romania and

The Jewish Congregation of Iasi

This is the older section of the cemetery, and a view toward the countryside from the hill on which the cemetery is located.

Theater

The first rows of pictures is of signs and posters advertising the Avram Goldfadden Theater Festival of the State Jewish Theater Company. The two at left are banners over the entrance of the Opera House and at Unirii Plaza, the downtown city center.Next are ticket-office posters advertising Yiddish performances of Shylock and The Book of Ruth. I attended a performance of Shylock, but it didn't occur to me to bring my camera, so I have no pictures of it.

Between the orchestra and the audience of Lucia di Lamermoor is the remarkable ceiling of the Opera House.

Scenes from a performance of Lucia di Lamermoor, at the Opera House

Scenes from a performance of Die Fledermaus, at vthe Opera House