Prior to 1940, present-day Moldova was a part of Romania, and Jewish life flourished under Romanian rule. There were perhaps 300,000 Jews living in Moldova on the eve of World War II, and about 80,000 Jews perished during the Holocaust. The Soviet Union regained control of Moldova (which also became known as Moldavia) in 1944. Yet, despite the Soviet policy of enforced atheism, the Jews of Moldova clung fiercely to their Jewish heritage and retained a high level of Jewish identity.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and Moldova became an independent state, Moldovan Jews were eager to reclaim the heritage of their grandparents and rebuild Jewish communal life. However, they faced many challenges. Moldova’s economy is severely depressed and the country is one of Europe’s poorest nations. Pensions are among the lowest in the former Soviet Union, averaging $30 a month. Elderly Jews must rely on welfare to survive. Jewish community leaders need training, guidance and financial support to create and maintain programs to help the elderly and to re-establish a strong, self-sufficient Jewish community structure.

JDC is playing a central role in this reconstruction, helping local Jews press forward with their efforts and reinforcing their vigor and enthusiasm.

Attesting to the community's progress, in the fall of 2005 a state-of-the-art Jewish Community Campus was opened in Kishinev as a hub for organized Jewish life. The campus houses a welfare center for Jewish elderly, Hillel, the Jewish Family Service, ORT Computer Center and the Center for Training and Professional Development. Additionally, many other community groups and educational institutes have begun to use the center's facilities, among them the JCC.

2005