Two (or three) Jewish stops: the Icic Manger Library, KEDEM, the former Woodland Synagogue, and what does Yehiel Schreibman have to do with itJewish LibraryThe Icic Manger Librarywas one of the first to appear as part of the project to create minority libraries in Moldova in 1991. The Itzik Manger Library was one of the first to appear as part of the project to create national minority libraries in Moldova in 1991. It is encouraging that the staff did not get rid of the existing old collection, but gradually added to it the largest Jewish book collection in the country. Many of the repository's books have become rarities; among them are publications and unpublished manuscripts by famous scholars and authors.In 1995, the I. Manger Library received the status of a Jewish Cultural Center, in which non-traditional forms of work are developed and implemented.The library has three entrances. Let's go to the lowest one and look at the plaque to the right of the door. If you read Yiddish, you can read the inscription; if not, try to figure out the Latin letters in Romanian. In any case, here we honor the memory of Ihil Shreibman (1992-2005).Ihil Itzikovich is known as one of the most important contemporary Yiddish writers, a brilliant stylist, the last and most important Yiddish voice in Moldova, a versatile and highly cultural personality.From the library we look to the opposite side of the pedestrian street and see a building with a menorah on the front. What kind of institution is this? There used to be a synagogue here.The former Lumber Synagogue (Lemneria), now KEDEMIn the first half of the 19th century, a prayer house of lumbermen and wood merchants, the Lemnerie Veche, was built on the then city border. The synagogue was over 1,500 square meters and belonged to the Korenfeld family.Inside the synagogue, the Reutburg family opened a Jewish canteen.The lemnery was built in stone and covered with a metal roof. By the beginning of the 20th century there was a complex for firewood sellers and the people who brought them. On the 13th of Av 1903, after the infamous pogrom, a procession set out from here to carry the collected desecrated Scrolls of the Torah to be buried in the Jewish cemetery.The building and courtyard were completely remodeled; here a 4-story building was erected which was called KEDEM (Chisinau's United House of Moldovan Jews). The building was built by JDC with funding from sponsors, mainly the Jacobs family from the U.S. It is currently owned by JDC and the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova (JERM). In the semi-basement building where the mikvah used to be, the YORM synagogue is open, with the Aron Kodesh and two Ashkenazi Torah scrolls. The synagogue has a library of religious books and a small exhibition of ancient religious items.The building also houses the Jewish Charity Center Hesed Yehuda. We will talk more about the name of the center as we continue our tour.Hesed provides charitable assistance to needy Jews who fall within its criteria. In addition, the Association of Former Ghetto and Concentration Camp Prisoners is housed in the building, which, alas, remains fewer and fewer every year.Another important organization is the International Center for Training and Professional Development (ICTPD) which runs various training, retraining and informal education programs for all citizens, giving them skills for both survival and advancement in life. In the same building is the Cultural Center KEDEM, which runs cultural, youth and volunteer programs.After familiarizing ourselves with all the many modern Jewish organizations and reaching the end of the pedestrian street, we continue along the tiled avenue, which is a stone national carpet with a traditional pattern. Passing by the Ministry of Finance on the right, then by the National Bank of Moldova on the left, the landmark ahead is the monument "To the Komsomol Heroes" erected in 1959 by L. Dubinovsky and architect F. Naumov. The monument commemorates the struggle of the Moldovan Komsomol members on the war fronts and in the underground.The monument is 14.5 meters high. The four-cornered granite column is topped by a bronze sculpture of a girl with a burning torch in her right hand, symbolizing victory. At the bottom is a sculptural group of five figures representing the fearlessness and steadfastness of Soviet youth.After reaching the monument, we turn right and cross the road, on the corner building we see a sign: Ierusalem Street (str. Jerusalem (str. Ierusalim) and a memorial plaque, stating that in 1998 the street was named Jerusalem Street in honor of the city's 3000th anniversary, a tribute to the friendly relations between Israel and Moldova.