Letter to President of the Republic of Romania Traian Basescu
The Honorable Traian Bãsescu
President
The Republic of Romania
Palatul Cotroceni,
Strada Geniului nr. 1-3
Sector 5 - Bucuresti - Romania,
Cod postal 060116
Dear President Bãsescu,
As you complete your visit to the United States, I write regarding the preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Romania, an issue of great concern to the Romanian Jewish community in the this country.
The preservation of ancestral cemeteries throughout Europe is a sensitive issue to worldwide Jewry, and Jewish cemeteries in Romania are no exception. For many Jews in the United States, these cemeteries are the last link they have with their ancestral homeland. Unfortunately, some of these cemeteries have fallen into substantial disrepair in Romania, others are threatened by development. It has been reported to me that, in some cases the land in and around a number of burial places is being sold by local authorities as if they were vacant lots. I ask you to pledge to do what you can to protect the sanctity of these cemeteries, and to protect the heritage of Jews of Romanian descent from around the world.
By the end of World War II, the Jewish population was cut in half, from 750,000 to 375,000. Today, there are a mere 9,000 Jews living in Romania. These cemeteries are vital to the memory of the rich Jewish heritage in your country. For example, the Jewish cemeteries in Prgu Frumos and Pdou Ilaoei are being threatened with destruction. These cemeteries, created for the victims of concentration camps, are having their borders continually shrunk by neighbors who are either planting crops on the property or attempting to carve pieces out of them for themselves. This is a desecration of those who lost their lives in the horrific acts of the Holocaust. In other cases, older Jewish cemeteries where the headstones no longer exist are not recognizable as final resting places, and suffer incursion as a result. Your leadership is needed to forge a solution that protects the sanctity of these final resting places while responding to the legitimate needs of nearby communities. Of course, I stand ready to provide any assistance and support that may further the progress of this essential effort.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope that in your visit to the United States you witnessed the lasting connection between Romania and those in America of Romanian descent.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=259945&&year=2006&