Another intense day. Sylvia and I have been to Vadul Raşcov (Vadul Rashkov) and Orhei in Bessarabia with its amazing Jewish cemeteries. Nothing compares to the Jewish cemetery of Vadul Raşcov at the banks of river Dniester. Here you get in touch with eternity.

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – banks of river Dniester next to the Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Jewish cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Christian cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Christian cemetery

Vadul Raşcov – Christian cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

Orhei – Jewish cemetery

With our friend and fabulous driver Igor, a Baptist priest with special appreciation for Bessarabia’s Jewish heritage, we have been on the road again. A hot day. Walking through the terraine of the cemeteries was exhausting. But seeing these places compensates for all efforts.

To Vadul Raşcov and Orhei I have been with my friends Achim and Petra in March. Visiting these places again in summer – with different vegetation as well as with completely different weather and light conditions – was a special experience. Despite the horrors of the past, both places are so peaceful with its grazing animals and the overwhelming beauty of nature. They appear as bitter-sweet gardens in which I could walk endlessly. A spark of eternity, which may reconcile one’s mind with the men-made desasters of the 20th century. In Hebrew a Jewish cemetery is called ‘House of Eternity’ (בית-עלמין). This is in particular true for Vadul Raşcov.

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