Mărculești (Romanian pronunciation: [mərkuˈleʃtʲ]) is a city in Florești District, in northern Moldova, with a population of 2,081 at the 2004 census. The city was once the site of a Jewish agricultural and mercantile colony until its destruction in the Holocaust.[3]

Mărculești
Mărculești is located in Moldova
Mărculești
Mărculești
Coordinates: 47°52′7″N 28°14′51″E / 47.86861°N 28.24750°E / 47.86861; 28.24750
CountryMoldova
DistrictFlorești District
Government
 • MayorIon Vîrlan (PCRM[1])
Area
 • Total5 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation
90 m (300 ft)
Population
 • Total1,396
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

In film and television

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Filmmaker Matthew Mishory's 2015 documentary Absent was filmed in Mărculești, the site of a horrible atrocity in 1941 in which all of the village's Jews were massacred by the Romanian army.[4] The film introduces the current residents of Mărculești, some of who seem to be unaware (or unwilling to discuss) what happened.[5] Mishory's own grandparents lived in the village, escaping to Israel just before the start of the Holocaust. In an interview with Tablet, Mishory discussed the complex emotions of filming there: "The history of Mărculești and the Holocaust pose impossible intellectual and theological questions. All I can say is that my feelings about what happened in Mărculești are complicated. I remain a practicing Jew. And I also have serious doubts about human nature. I'm angry that people who live overlooking a killing field lie about their history. But I also have a lot of empathy for the current residents of the village and their difficult circumstances".[6] The film had its world premiere at the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu, Romania[7] and led to efforts to preserve Mărculești's abandoned Jewish cemetery.

References

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  1. ^ "Lista primarilor aleși în cadrul Alegerilor Locale Generale din 14 iunie 2015" (in Romanian). Central Election Commission of Moldova. 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  2. ^ Results of Population and Housing Census in the Republic of Moldova in 2014: "Characteristics - Population (population by communes, religion, citizenship)" (XLS). National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  3. ^ "Markuleshty; Memorial to a Jewish Colony in Bessarabia (Marculesti), Moldova". www.jewishgen.org. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  4. ^ "Absent: A Dark Episode in Moldo-Romanian History". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  5. ^ Eckerling, Debra L. (2018-05-16). "Moldovan Jews' Tragic History in 'Absent'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  6. ^ "Now Streaming on Amazon, Masterful Documentary Captures the Haunting History of Moldovan Jews". Tablet. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  7. ^ "The 22nd Astra Film Festival kicks off". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
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