Alternate names: Bendery [Rus], Bender [Yid, Ger], Tighina [Rom], Benderî, Tehinia, Tigina, Tiginia, Russian: Бендеры. Moldovan: Тигина. Ukrainian: Бендери. בענדער, טיגינא-Yiddish. 46°50' N, 29°27' E, In SE Moldova, on the Dniester, 31 miles ESE of Chişinău (Kishinev), 9 miles W of Tiraspol. 1900 Jewish politician: 10,654. Yizkor. Kehilat Bendery; sefer zikaron, (Tel Aviv, 1975). Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), I, p. 132: "Bendery".This port city on the Dniester River in East Moldova was a Genoese colony called Tigin built during the 14th century. The first Jews appeared in this region of Moldova probably arrived at the beginning of the 10th century. The town of Bendery was founded in 1408 as a fortress Tigina (Osman Empire). In 1580, the locality later named Beltsy formed around a small Jewish tavern (kerchma). A synagogue was built early the 18th century on fortress property. In 1812, Bendery as part of Bessarabia joined Russia. After 1850, Jews were more than 50% of the population in Beltsy and small surrounding settlements. Jewish population: 1930 was 8,000; 1989 was 6,000 people. In 1918-1940, Bendery became a Romanian town renamed Tighina. After 1944, it belonged to the Moldovan SSR. Between 1944 and 1989, it belonged to the USSR. Beginning in 1990, Bendery is in Pridnestrovye/ Transdniestria, 64 km from Kishinev with a total population of 130,000. In 1992, Bendery became the main battlefield of the war between the secessionist Transdniestran (Russian) army and the Moldovan army. In 1989, the Beltsy Jewish community was the second biggest after Kishinev as well as regional center for 49 small towns and villages in northern Moldova. Current Jewish population of the town and two peripheral settlements is 905 people, down from 2,000 (plus about 600 from Beltsy surroundings). The Beltsy community twinned with the Jewish Federation of Greensboro, NC in 2000. In 2004, the "Halom" Jewish Community Cultural Welfare Center was founded for welfare, cultural, and educational programs. History [March 2009]

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