Obj. ID: 40870
Jewish Funerary Art  Murder place in Pepeni, Moldova

The report "Jewish Historic Monuments and Sites in Moldova" published by The United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad in 2010 states:

"On July 13th, 1941 the Jewish population of Pepeni, along with some Jews from neighboring villages, was brought to the local mayor’s office. Approximately 300-350 people were kept in the building for three days without food or water. On the third evening, under the order of the Post-Chief, Ion Bordei, the captives were murdered with grenades and rifles. The corpses were buried about four kilometers southeast of the village. According to the eyewitnesses, the corpses were buried in four mass graves. In 1971, thanks to the initiative of kolkhoz (collective farm) Chairman Aron Zaslavsky, the residents of Pepeni decided to erect a monument on the location of the massacre. The monument was to be erected on July 10th, 1971, the 30th anniversary of the tragedy, but the ceremony was not allowed by the Communist Party authorities. Since then, the monument has remained in the kolkhoz warehouse. The Jewish community of Balti is currently trying to have it erected."

Jewish Heritage Sites and Monuments in Moldova, pp. 60-61

For the description prepared in the Survey of Jewish History and Holocaust-related Sites in Moldova, see here.