Sculeni ( yi, סקולען, ''Skulen'') is a commune in

Ungheni District Ungheni () is a district ( ro, raion) in the central part of Moldova, bordering Romania, with the administrative center at Ungheni. The other major city is Corneşti. As of 1 January 2011, its population was 117,400. History Villages with an ...

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnist ...

. It is composed of four villages: Blindești, Floreni, Gherman and Sculeni. It is also a border checkpoint to Romania.

History

The town had an important Jewish community before World War II to such an extent that a

Hasidic dynasty A Hasidic dynasty is a dynasty led by Hasidic Jewish spiritual leaders known as rebbes, and usually has some or all of the following characteristics: * Each leader of the dynasty is often known as an ''ADMOR'' (abbreviation for '' ADoneinu MOrein ...

is designated after its name, the Skulen Hasidic dynasty. In June 1941, hundreds of Jews from the area were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by a

death squad A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are f ...

of Romanian troops.http://www.pogromuldelaiasi.ro/gropi-comune/gropile-comune-de-la-stanca/

Natives

Andrei Eșanu Andrei Eșanu (born July 16, 1948 in Sculeni) is a historian (doctor habilitat in history), writer and researcher from the Republic of Moldova. He is a member of the Commission for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Moldova. He is part of ...

, historian * Eliezer Zusia Portugal, rabbi *

Yisroel Avrohom Portugal Yisroel Avrohom Portugal (or Israel Abraham Portugal) (June 2, 1923April 1, 2019) son of Rabbi Eliezer Zusia Portugal and his first wife, Sheina Rachel, was the Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) of Skulen in Brooklyn, New York. He was the last Holocaust era ...

, rabbi * Grigore Sturdza, politician and adventurer *

Wincenty (Morari) Vincent (Vinkenty, Vichentie, russian: Викентий; born Viktor Aleksandrovich Morar or Morari or Moraru, on December 4, 1953), is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. He serves as Metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan and he is a ...

, metropolitan

Gallery

File:AlexanderYpsilantisPruth.jpg, On 22 February 1821 (O.S.), accompanied by several other Greek officers in Russian service,

Ypsilantis The House of Ypsilantis ( el, Υψηλάντης; ro, Ipsilanti) was a Greek Phanariote family which grew into prominence and power in Constantinople during the last centuries of Ottoman Empire and gave several short-reign '' hospodars'' to ...

crossed the

Prut The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine. Characteristics The Prut originates ...

into the Principalities.

Literature

Sculeni (battle of Sculeni) is mentioned by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

in his short story

The Shot The Shot was a basketball play that occurred during a 1989 playoff game between the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It took place on May 7, 1989 at Richfield Coliseum in Richfield Townsh ...

References

Communes of Ungheni District Moldova–Romania border crossings Populated places on the Prut Beletsky Uyezd {{Ungheni-geo-stub

History

Natives

Gallery

Literature

See also

References