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June 2018

Alexandra Remencu

The children called her „our mom”

 

(Gleanings from an interview with Sergiu Remencu, son of Alexandra Remencu, the headmistress of the Children’s House during 1929-1940)

 

- Mister Sergiu Remencu, we have found that a big part of the Chisinau history is also connected with your family. You are the son of Alexandra Remencu, the lady invited to Vatican… In what year did this happen?


- My mother was born in Orhei district, Peresecina village, in a family of priests. She studied at Odessa University, faculty of mathematics. She was 32 years old when she was named the headmistress of the orphanage for children from Chisinau, an unique institution in its own way. In 1938, Miss Maria Montessori, the representative of the Nations League, has invited my mother to a special congress that took place in Rome, asking her to share the experience of institutionalization of children from poor families. The same time, my mother visited Vatican, being invited by the Pope Pius XI. She returned full of impressions and memories, but also with future plans.

 

- Did she manage to realize those plans?


- She didn’t get to, all my mother’s dreams shattered in 1940. Once the regime had changed, the orphanage was closed.

 

- The war started...

- Yes, during the war we found refuge in Gaiesti city, Romania. My mother worked as a nurse there, being awarded with the Order of the Red Cross for this. She passed away in 1959. She was always remembering her disciples from the orphanage and had only one regret: that she couldn’t help more children.

 

- Where the orphanage was settled, on what street?

- In the building on the 1, Marele Voievod Mihai Street of Chisinau. Today, it is named, 1, S. Lazo, and the National Institute of Justice is settled there.

 

- For how long did your mother run that institution?

- She was the principal of the Kindergarten no. 7 (“Children’s House” Orphanage) between the years 1929-1940. I studied there too, I have lived in the orphanage during the first seven years of my life. As headmistress, my mother was provided some rooms on the first floor. One of the rooms was occupied by my father, the second by me and my mother and in the third my brother was living. After many years, when I had the chance to visit the building, I was very nervous entering the rooms where I have spent my childhood... Today, in those rooms there are the working offices of the NIJ employees. I remembered the place of my father’s library was and the big table under which I was hiding when making pranks, it was like I have seen my room with a huge bed that was so sweet to sleep on… I was glad to see that the windows remained unchanged: high, with a wide ledge. The only difference that then they were closed with shutters and now with blinds.

 

- Do you still remember children from the orphanage?

- There were permanently 70-80 children in the orphanage. They were from poor families, without one or both of parents. I remember one day, two sisters were brought. Their parents got burned in the fire. The girls were safe, but it took a long time for them to recover after the shock they passed through. There were other cases, equally dramatic, that’s why they were treated by Dr. Kotovski, the doctor at the Sanatorium for Neurological Disorders, which was located not far from the orphanage. The children were also consulted for free by other doctors. There were also children with serious problems. I remember a boy and how my mother was telling me to play more with him … When the war started, everyone was evacuated somewhere in Russia, in Ural. They worked there at a factory of weapons production and... only two girls returned. In the last years, when my mother was dying, she was visited by a man. It was Nicusor, the yesterday child. Although she was very sick, my mother recognized him... They cried of happiness of seeing each other again. I left out and when I came back into the room, the man was down his knees near my mom’s bed, and she was touching his head... The children loved her, they called her « our mom »...

Antonina SÂRBU

 
 
 
 
 
   

Photos:

  1. Alexandra Remencu
  2. Teachers and educators from the Children’s House. First on right bottom – Alexandra Remencu
  3. They represented the Children’s House in the interwar period
  4. The bedroom in the Children’s House
  5. Raising silk cockroaches
  6. Children are getting used to folk traditions
  7. During the war, Alexandra Remencu worked as nurse in the Gaesti city, Romania, for which the Romanian Government awarded her with the Order of the Red Cross.

 

Historical backstage

 

REAL HEARTBEAT OF HISTORY…

Houses have their faith similar to the faith of people. Their faith is defined by political regime of the country.

The big and beautiful building on 1 Serghei Lazo Street (previously named Nemteasca Street) was built during the World WarI. This world disaster caused great sufferings, tens thousands of children lost their parents. There was a need to take care of these orphan children and, respectively, to build an orphan house. In 1916 the design of such building has been approved and the edification of a two-tier building designed to host two schools for orphan children – school for boys No. 1 and school for girls No. 5, initiated.

The World War IIdid not affect the building which, following its repairmen after the end of the war, was used as administrative premises of various institutions. Until 1989, the building was hosting the offices of the Publishing House „Literatura artistică” and the Veterinary Faculty of Agricultural University of Chisinau.

Starting with 2007, the building is used by the National Institute of Justice. The names of now forgotten personalities, such as Nadejda Terletki, are closely linked to this building.

 

AN EXCEPTIONAL PRINCIPAL…

19th Century substantially changed the position of women within the society. The transformation of the woman’s position from a simply member of the family to the full-fledged member of society occurred. The schools for girls have been constituted and their graduates, in their turn, started to open other schools, thus causing a peaceful but very necessary revolution.

The best illustrative example of this situation is Nadejda Terletki.

She was born in1870 in Zarojani Village, Hotin County. Her parents decided that she should study in Chisinau where she successfully graduated Gymnasium for Girls No.1.

Following the trend of that era, similar to other thousands of young people, she got involved in the process of enlightening of population. She became a teacher of a primary school, working with a lot of commitment and sacrifice. During the period of1917-1925 she was the principal of Primary School No. 5 in Chisinau and a lot of generations of children benefited from her professor’s talent and exceptional soulfulness. She also participated at various congresses in Russia where her oratorical skills and public hearings talent had been fully demonstrated.

At the same time, the area of her activity was far behind the borders of the school. Together with Daria Harjevschi she contributed to organization of a public theatre, interesting public lecturers and etc.

She was a risky person. This is why, most probably, the most interesting details of her biography are kept with the secret files of Basarabian gendarmerie. Her house was used as publisher’s office and publishing house for the newspaper Cuvânt moldovenesc (1913-1917), edited by Pan Halippa and Nicolae N. Alexandri. During her entire life she was a close friend of the famous writer and publisher Nicolae N. Alexandri (1859-1931). The harmony of this friendship affected a lot of professional actions of N. Alexandri. She never ignored human grieving, sufferings of person next to her and being a religious person she was involved in solving the issues neglected by those who being obliged to help, were not offering such help. Without waiting laurels and praises, she was concerned about the destiny of Transnistrian refugees.

She passed away in a modest and dignified way as she lived. She was buried at the Central Cemetery on Armeana Street, but to our great misfortune, no sign, no plaque indicating the year of death was saved. That’s why we are looking for information related to Nadejda Terletki. Because this Bessarabian personality must be known and appreciated as she deserves it. Just as we should know the connection of Remencu Family with the house on 1, S. Lazo St.

 

A FAMILY LIKE AN ANTHOLOGY OF PERSONALITIES 

The biography of Dumitru I. Remencu (1895, Bolhrad – 13.VII.1940, Chisinau), would be an ordinary biography of a Bessarabian intellectual, if there were not some moments, better to say, some accents that bring it out of the common ones.

As a journalist and philosopher, he was looking for his place in the society. In order to define his state of mind, he accepts the journalism– an intermediate condition. His philosophy, namely his meditation being the supreme flight of the spirit and the conscience and “...was meeting his initial goal: to find a common line between the specifically Bessarabian conception and the Socio-Romanian ideology” (Henrih Bloch).

Another fact that distinguishes him from the other intellectuals is that he was aware of what he was doing, of the responsibility of every moment lived. In the moment the rough, daily event collided with his philosophic concept, he took his own life...

Only the real philosopher can do so …

He attended his secondary school in Bolhrad, where his father was a notary and graduated the Odessa University. From 1919 he is the student at Al. I. Cuza University of Iasi, the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy. During the interwar period he worked intensively in the Bessarabian media, cooperating with the newspapers Cuvânt moldovenesc, Raza and at the magazine Viaţa Basarabiei. He is the special correspondent of Timpul newspaper and Argus magazine for Bessarabia, which were edited in Bucharest. After being questioned by NKVD bodies and persistently forced to denounce his friends, on the 13th of July 1940, he tragically dies – returning home he shot himself...

He lived in Chisinau, on Sciusev Street, between Puskin and Mitropolit G. Bănulescu-Bodoni streets. Then he moved in the Orphanage, from where he usually has going to Cuvânt moldovenesc newspaper, which was settled on Regele Mihai Street, on the corner with Alexandru Av. or on 142, Haralambie St., to Viaţa Basarabiei. The eclipse of his life took place in the moment when he was called to the NKVD office on theSinadino St., to provide testimony against his colleagues and friends. He came home and shot himself. He was buried at the Cemetery on Armeana St.

 

ANOTHER HEADMISTRESS OF THE ORPHANAGE 

Alexandra Remencu, the wife of Dimitrie, was a prominent personality.

The researcher, Dr. Maria Danilov in the encyclopaediaWomen of Moldova (Chisinau, 2000) makes an exact portrayal of one more member of this remarkable family:

«REMENCU, Alexandra (30.VIII.1897, Orhei District, Peresecina Village – 19.V.1959, Chisinau, Central Cemetery), pedagogue, prominent personality of public education of Bessarabia, interwar period.

Education: Girls’ High School of Orhei (1915), Odessa University (1915-1917), speciality – mathematics.

Descendent from a family of priests (born asScodior) from Bessarabia, mentioned as illuministsfrom the second half of the 19th century in the N. Popovschi‘s book Istoria bisericii din Basarabia în veacul al XIX-lea.In 1918, she married Dumitru Remencu (later, famous journalist and publicist). Mother of Sergiu and Gh. Remencu.

She was a teacher, principal of the kindergarten (no. 17) in Chisinau. In 1929, on the proposal of Florica Nita, she is named the headmistressof Orphanage (later – Children’s House) of Chisinau. In 1940, the Children’s House became amodel-Orphanagefor the entire country, being visited by a special commission of the Nations League (1938). The chief of the commission, Montessori, has proposed that the experience of this orphanage to be presented at a special congress that took place in Rome (1938). The theses of the report submitted at the congress by Alexandra Remencu were included in the final stage as recommendations. In the same year, she was invited to Vatican where she was welcomed by the Pope Pius XI.

In June 1940 she had stopped her pedagogical activity. As the result of the NKVD’s prosecutionsher husband committed suicide (13th ofJuly 1940), the family was thrown out the house, in the street (the same day – Iu.C.). In 1944, she took refuge in Romania. She comes back to Chisinau in October 1945. »

Headquarters of the NIJ – historical background

 

On 29 May 1913 the extraordinary meeting of Chisinau city Duma passed “The Project on Establishing the Primary General Education in Chisinau for 1914-1923”.

First activity from the “Project”, planned for 1914 was the edification of a building designed for Primary School for Boys No. 1 and Primary School for Girls No. 5.

The construction of the building commenced in May 1914 and lasted for two years. On 25 May 196 the building has been sanctified by Archbishop of Chsinau and Hotin, Anastasie.

 

1916 – Primary School for Girls No. 5 and Primary School for Boys No. 1

1929 – Orphan Asylum “Casa copilului „Regina Maria”.

1941 – Children were evacuated to Ural Region of Russia.

1946 – Advanced Training Faculty and the Veterinary Medicine Faculty of the Agricultural Institute (now known as the University of Agriculture).

End of 80th of XX century – Publishing House „Literatura artistică”.

2006 – the National Institute of Justice.

 

 

 

 

The history of the NIJ’s building

The National Institute of Justice was registered with the State Registry of Legal Entities on 8 November 2006. Its official inauguration took place on 9 November 2007 in the presence of the President of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir VORONIN, and the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Terry DAVIS.

04. 06. 2018

On May 31, 2018, the international conference “Language Policy and Conflict Prevention”, marking the twentieth anniversary of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Oslo Recommendations regarding the linguistic rights of national minorities, took place at the University of Oslo, Norway.

04. 06. 2018

Pe 31 mai 2018, la Universitatea din Oslo, Norvegia, a avut loc conferinţa internațională „Politici lingvistici și prevenirea conflictelor”, dedicată aniversării a XX-a de la lansarea Recomandărilor Înaltului Comisar pentru Minoritățile Naționale (HCNM) privind drepturile lingvistice ale minorităților naționale.

04. 06. 2018

În contextul lucrărilor de reparaţii care au loc la Institutul Naţional al Justiţiei, Vă comunicăm că, în luna iunie curent, activităţile de formare continuă se vor desfăşura în sediile Judecătoriei Chișinău, conform planului anexat.

04. 06. 2018

Stimați beneficiari ai INJ,

Vă anunțăm cu plăcere că INJ  Vă oferă posibilitatea de a participa la un curs e-learning pe platforma de instruire la distanță ILIAS a INJ.

Denumirea cursului: „Protecția drepturilor migranților în Republica Moldova: Dispoziții legale”.

Ore de instruire: 8 ore.

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