“There are tragedies that transcend the power of words and must never be forgotten. The Holocaust does not belong only to the past, but to our collective consciousness, to the present and to the future.”
Guided by this belief, the Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Ms. Anca Dragu, took part in the event “Never Again – Lessons of History”, organised at the Bucharest National Opera, on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The event recalled the tragic story of a 13-year-old boy, deported to Auschwitz, to a concentration camp where hunger, disease, and the daily selections determined who lived and who died. Reduced to just a number – B-14849 – the boy survived inhumane conditions, living constantly under the threat of death.
The entire story is told in the book “I Am B-14849: The Story of the 13-Year-Old Boy Who Survived Auschwitz”, launched at today’s event. It is a direct testimony of the loss of childhood, suffering, and resilience, meant to impart to today’s generations the lessons of an unprecedented tragedy. The author of the book, Otto Fülöp, now 95 years old and one of the last remaining survivors of the Holocaust, is the very child who lived through this ordeal.
The event also featured a dialogue with Mr. Otto Fülöp, focused on testimony, memory, and the responsibility of current generations to learn from the lessons of the past, bringing together representatives from the diplomatic, academic, and cultural spheres, as well as around 750 high school students, for whom the opportunity to meet a survivor in person was a memorable lesson in history and humanity.
In this context, the NBM Governor presented Mr. Otto Fülöp with the commemorative coin “Queen Marie”, as a gesture of respect and recognition of human dignity, courage, and the memory of the Holocaust victims.
“Holocaust memory is an act of collective responsibility and a moment of profound reflection on the values we choose to defend today: human dignity, respect for life, and a firm commitment to ensure that such tragedies are never repeated. Education, dialogue, and living memory remain fundamental to the formation of generations capable of understanding, respecting, and defending universal human values,” stated Ms. Anca Dragu.
The National Bank of Moldova promotes the memory of significant historical events and figures who have shaped society's destiny, including through commemorative coin issues, which aim to pass on to future generations the lessons of history and the importance of fundamental values.