Bulgaria Commemorates Rescue of Jews in 1943

Bulgaria commemorated the 67th anniversary of the salvation of Bulgarian Jews and the 65th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust on March 10 with a ceremony at the memorial by the National Assembly.

"The salvation of Bulgarian Jews, which began with the participation of MPs and was supported by members of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, as well as of hundreds and thousands of honest Bulgarian citizens, was a peak achievement of the civic society," Parliamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva said.

Even though Bulgaria was an ally of Nazi Germany in World War II, 50,000 Bulgarian Jews were not deported to the Nazi death camps in 1943 thanks to mass civil protests, active stance by 43 Bulgarian MPs, and Tsar Boris III's resistance to Hitler's demands for deportation.

“On this day, more than any other, the Bulgarian Jews express their greatest gratitude to the Bulgarian people,” Maxim Benvenisti, the head of the Jewish organization Shalom, said at the ceremony.

“For us – the Bulgarian Jews – the Bulgarian people and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church are our saviors. Noble people who helped its Jewish citizens at a very difficult for them moment, a difficult moment for all the Jews across Europe,” he added.

The ceremony paid honor to all those 11,343 Jews, who were handed over to Nazi Germany from regions in what are now Macedonia, northern Greece and eastern Serbia, but were occupied and managed by Bulgaria during World War II.

In a letter to Shalom organization, Bulgaria's Prime Minister paid homage to the millions of Holocaust victims and the the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarians, who in 1943 defended the right to life of the Jews.

“The evil that has been done should not be forgotten because it can return with a vengeance. The good that has been done should not be forgotten as well because it can make the world a better place,” Boyko Borisov wrote.

The ceremony was also attended by the parliamentary deputy speakers, MPs, diplomats, including the Ambassadors of the United States, Russia, Hungary, many students and citizens. Flowers and wreaths were laid by the president, the prime minister, leaders of political parties, Sofia municipality, a number of organizations.

• 1