People, Walls & Stories - short history of the Jewish community of Sibiu

History begins with people. Their decisions influence how things happen. Should we fight? Should we leave? Where can we settle? What shall we do? Who are our allies? Should we stay? How long can we put up with this situation?

Where people settle, buildings and walls appear. Walls separate, protect, shelter and encourage development. Walls of houses, churches or synagogues, shops and workshops, walls of defence and walls of separation. Between these walls life grows, new things are invented and discovered, people are born and others die. Between walls, people live.

When people decide to leave their walls and to try their luck somewhere else, their stories remain. Thanks to them, history goes on and we do not forget what happened before we appeared in the world. Stories keep people alive and walls standing, even past their time.
When even stories disappear, nothing is left. Only then, when there’s nobody to tell the stories, everything ends.

We wanted to tell the story of Jews in Sibiu - they came, settled down, built, lived, resisted and then moved on. What is left behind them are walls, but mostly stories. We put some of them together and we invite you to take this story forward.